Dragons Blood series
by The MOUSE
Summary: How could a trip that started off so well end up like THIS?????
1. Dragon's Blood

# Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

# **Dragon's Blood**

by Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet 

Dressed in a plain black T-shirt and blue jeans, a blond adolescent's blue eyes stared out of the tiny plane's porthole to the passing clouds. He wondered briefly why there seemed to only be passengers his age, but the thought vanished at a break in the thick cloud cover to reveal a lush green of trees and plants bathed in moonlight. He knew that far below was a vast jungle teeming with life and mystery. And that was where he and his friend were heading, for this jungle. That's when he turned to her. She was roughly a year older than him, with long flaming red hair. Under a pink T-shirt and shorts she wore a tight, light grey body suit. Her ethereal green eyes were squinted slightly in the plane's weak personal light and concentrated on the contents of a file folder on her lap. He didn't remember her having it before boarding the small plane. She could have just been hiding it from him at the time and who knew where she hid things, her Father being an ex-covert operations officer. He couldn't quite see what was written in the file from his angle. 

He reached over and gently lifted her chin with his fingers to force her to look up at him. "You're going to ruin your eyes." Jonny Quest stated. 

Jessie Bannon took her eyes from the folder to match his gaze, her eyes glinting brightly in the pale light, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Let me worry about my eyes." 

He smiled back, taking his hand away. "What're you looking at, Jess?" 

"It's just something our Dads wants us to look into while visiting with my Mom, mind you they never really voiced that." and she handed him what looked like a photograph while he chuckled softly. "I _borrowed_ this file from Dad." and he laughed outright. She slapped his shoulder. "Shut up and listen! This is an infrared satellite shot of a forty mile long underground complex that no one's been able to explore because of its remoteness and the fact that there's an extremely high level of radiation. Best guesses would suggest large deposits of uranium or plutonium but it's too far from civilization to exploit." She leaned over towards him slightly. "Now, look real close here, next to my finger." 

He did so, leaning over some more to get more light. All he could make out was the familiar form of the military's most recent jet. "Looks like the Blackbird. So what?" 

"So, there are no airbases or otherwise anywhere near this zone. Any plane would look suspicious flying here without authorization and be chased or shot out of the sky. That or having its computers fried by the radiation." 

He rested his chin in his hand, smiling up at her in his usual way when he waited for a forthcoming explanation from her. "And how does Race expect us to investigate this place if the local authority don't want the curious reaching it, or did he not voice that too?" 

She smiled sweetly. "What do you think is in that extra bag I brought?" 

He shrugged. "Make-up?" 

"Right. I don't wear make-up in the jungle, or anywhere for that matter. It's safari and radiation gear. Mom thinks we're staying with her a week and then we're going back to the Compound. In reality we're staying with her for that week and then as long as it takes to get to this area and investigate." 

The smile remained. "Aren't we a little optimist?" 

"Yes, because your Dad packed us some new gear that he's been dying to try that he thinks'll help us out: Anti-infrared, anti-radar, camouflage gear the Pentagon would love to get their hands on." 

Jonny leaned back with a short laugh. "Dear ol' Dad. Always a step ahead of everyone." Then a thought occurred to him. "Does he know we have this stuff?" 

"Yes, but he meant it for Mom. She doesn't know about it so we'll end up testing it." 

He laughed again. "You've been hanging around me too long." and she turned away, seemingly insulted. He turned to the window, still smiling, then suddenly sat up straight, the smile vanishing suddenly. "Jess, look! Talk about coincidence." 

She looked over his shoulder and saw the dark silhouette of a Blackbird. Not far away from it were two more silhouettes of fighter jets. They buzzed by, the reverberations of their engines resounding through the commercial plane. She moved closer to the window and looked down, expecting to see a military base or something. Instead she saw virgin rainforest. "We're off course! We should be flying over the airport by now!" 

"What!?" What sounded like an explosion shook the small craft causing Jessie to be thrown across Jonny's lap. Two more explosions quickly followed, threatening to throw her around the plane's interior, but Jonny kept his arms around her waist to protect her from injury. Somehow, between the subsequent explosions, she managed to get to her seat and strapped herself in as another explosion sounded, closer this time. People screamed in utter panic. "I thought you said a plane would be intercepted by the authorities if it got too close to this area!" he asked, realizing just where they were flying over. 

"I don't suppose the pilot heard that!" 

"I don't think they're the authorities! Think he's in on all this?" 

"They are the authorities! The _local_ authorities! And I'd stake my life on the pilot being a charter member!" 

Another explosion rattled the plane. "I wish you had used another choice of words than, _stake my life_!" 

"You know what?" 

"What?" 

Another explosion, much closer this time, rattled the plane as her hand found his and gripped it tightly. "I wish I had too!" A last explosion ripped the back of the small air craft open and that was the last thing both remembered seeing. 

* * * 

Jessie Bannon woke slowly to a bright light pointed into her face. She squinted as her senses caught up with her sight and she raised her arms to fend off the glare. Her head and ribs hurt atrociously and her arms felt like lead, but she was alive and on what seemed to feel like a hospital gurney. _At least I'm alive_, she thought. The light dimmed as a shadow moved across it. It was a masked face. 

"Finally, you're awake." came a computerized voice from the mask. "Do not be alarmed. You're safe. Your plane crashed in the jungle and we managed to pull you out in time. Try not to move, you have broken ribs and a mild concussion." 

"The others...? Jonny...?" she asked as her throat tightened. This was when she began to look around the room. She seemed to be in a single room with no windows or curtains and just one door. No one else was with her. If Jonny was hurt... The masked stranger hesitated too long and she snapped her head back towards him. "Where's Jonny?" she demanded. 

"I'm sorry. No one else survived." was all he answered. 

A wave of heart wrenching pain and nausea struck her hard at this painful revelation, her breath catching in her throat, and she slipped back into the silent, darkened comfort of unconsciousness. A silent, pained tear trickled from her eye as all her senses went blissfully black. 

* * * 

Weeks packed with strange training exercises had passed quickly and unquestioned by Jessie or any one else she had been placed with. The only reason she went along with it all was because life had all of a sudden stopped making sense to her. Jonny was gone and there wasn't much of a chance for anyone finding her in this place, especially if the pilot forged his flight path to throw off any attention. What was the point in fighting when you were out-numbered one hundred to one. 

All the men wore the same black and blue uniforms and all the women wore black and pink uniforms. Everyone was forced to wear the masks with the computerized voice synthesizers. Nothing about anyone was recognizable. The training they were forced to do was very close to covert operation training. The trainers said it was payment for saving their lives from whatever would have happened and it would help build character in them. Mentally Jessie was planning her escape as she catalogued every room and training field. There were areas that resembled bleak deserts, torrid jungles, and arctic landscapes. They were given weapons modified to shoot paint pellets and pitted against one another. 

Day after day Jessie noticed she and the same man would always be the last ones to be _shot_ in the exercises and they would always end up _shooting_ each other simultaneously. She had since dubbed him _her equal_. This day the trainers had them stalking each other in the jungle training area. Everything here, the plants and animals, were real and very vicious. Jessie walked alone, her senses alert for any signs of her fellow students in the underbrush. The rustling of leaves came from ahead of her, as she had expected. She leveled her rifle to take aim. But, whereas she had expected one of her comrades to come out, a large jungle cat seeking a meal charged at her. There was no time for her to move. Luckily she didn't have to. A blur of black and blue came rushing out of the bushes next to her and pulled her out of the way. The feline cracked its head against the tree and then wobbled off in pain. 

The person backed off her, looked around to make sure the cat was gone, then turned back to her, his posture chiding and annoyed in a very familiar way. She blinked and only for an instant she thought she recognized that posture, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. 

"Did you forget that we are not the only living things in this jungle?" her savior inquired in his computerized voice. She recognized his physique as being that of her _equal_ and leveled her weapon at him. He huffed. "And this is the thanks I get." He pushed the barrel aside impatiently, but she brought it back. She heard him sigh. "Look, how about we team up for safety's sake." 

_Oh, wow! A guy who uses his brains instead of his brawn_, she marveled sarcastically. 

"I watch your back and you watch mine until we take out the others that are left. After that..." 

"After that all bets are off. Deal." and he helped her to her feet. One by one they tagged their fellow students with paint pellets until they were the last ones left. They then turned on each other and tagged each other simultaneously, holding to their previous pattern. The trainers then called everyone out of the jungle and had them line up at attention before them. 

"In the past few weeks you have all proven yourselves efficient and effective fighters!" the lead trainer announced through the synthesizer. "And as in all competitions there are those who distinguish themselves from the rest! In all of you there are four who rank above the group and only two who rank highest of all!" He pointed to four, two men and two women, and motioned them to step forward. Jessie was one of the four, as was her _equal_. "You four are the elite! And from the elite you two are the best!" he stated, pointing to Jessie and her _equal_. "You will be paired together as leaders and sub-commanders of this group! The rest of you will also be paired off with one who ranks closest to your scores! Each pair will be assigned new quarters via your helmets to make room for the new arrivals! In these rooms you will be free to do and act as you please, so long as you can locate the camera and microphone we have planted! Dismissed!" 

They all filed away in silence to a long corridor lined with numbered doors. Jessie waited, wondering which room was hers. She didn't have long to wait. "Soldier 4-4-9-2, proceed to room 2-2-6." came a computer's voice through her helmet. Locating the door she went in, followed by her new partner. 

"Where do you suppose the camera and mike are?" came his synthesized voice when the door closed. 

"Just about anywhere by the looks of it." The room was equipped with two single beds, a small table between them, a very simple bathroom, and one desk lamp which was already lit. Everything was colored a drab gray, right down to the sheets. _Very Spartan_, she mused to herself. 

"Well, with the time we've spent here, we can probably figure out where they'd hide them, right?" 

"Right. You look on that side and I'll take this side." They searched for several minutes before Jessie finally exclaimed in triumph. "Found the mike." and with a sharp pull she ripped it out from under the bathroom door frame and severed the wires. 

"And I think I may have just found the camera. There's a small hole in the corner here, the only hole I found in the entire room, unfortunately out of reach too. Think you can reach it if I give you a boost?" 

"Worth a try." She took some tissue from the bathroom, wet it, and went over to where he stood. Forming his hands into a stirrup he boosted her up and she blocked the small hole with the tissue. "That ought to do it." and she dropped back to her own feet. They stared at each other for a long awkward moment, unsure of their next step. "Now what?" 

He shrugged. "Introductions, I guess." 

"Good enough place to start." She held out her hand. "Soldier 4-4-9-2." 

"I know that." he chuckled. "Real names would be better." 

"Haven't heard that in a while." her synthesized voice sighed. She took her helmet off and a cascade of red hair fell around her shoulders as she brought her green eyes to his mask. She thought she saw him jolt, but it could have just been her eyes playing a trick on her. "My name is--" 

He suddenly gripped her shoulders. "Jess? Jessie is that really you?" he asked in urgent disbelief as his hands traveled up to cup her face tenderly. 

She tried to back out of his grasp, but he kept a hold on her arms. "How did you...?" 

"Jess, it's me." 

He tore off his helmet to reveal a crop of blond hair and a pair of blue eyes she recognized. "Jonny!" She almost fainted, Jonny catching her in his arms caringly, before she finally threw her arms around his neck in a joyous hug. They held each other tight, both had silent joyful tears streaming from their eyes, then pulled back to look at each other, almost as if making sure the other was real and not some form of hallucination. They carefully wiped away each other's tears, staying forehead to forehead. 

""They said you were dead."" they stated simultaneously. They laughed and held each other again. 

"I thought I recognized some of those moves you used in the training, but I wasn't sure." he told her. He pulled her close and held her tight. "I don't think I can ever let you go again." he gushed. 

"Please, don't let go." she breathed without thinking, holding him tighter than she ever dared. His arms tightened around her. 

The door chime for their room suddenly sounded, reluctantly forcing them apart. They quickly retrieved their helmets and put them on seconds before the door flung open. In strode their two sub-commanders. The male, who seemed slightly taken off by the fact that Jessie and Jonny were standing close to each other, approached Jonny menacingly, anger radiating from him. "You made an idiot of me every time we went out on the grounds." he ground. "I should be team leader." 

"Take it easy! You said to do what comes naturally. Is it my fault I had prior training before here?" 

"And you." he spat at Jessie. "It's for your own good if you stay away from this creep. He's a goodie two shoes who refuses to do what's necessary. You'd be better off with me." 

"I can handle him just fine, thank you." was all she replied and she gave Jonny a knowing nudge. She knew he was smiling at her under his helmet. 

"DOORS WILL LOCK AND POWER WILL BE CUT IN TEN SECONDS. PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE." came a loud computer's voice through their helmets. There was the sound of a latch at the door and the lights flickered off shortly after. Jessie went over to the small desk and fished in the dark for pocket light she had seen earlier. Finding it she switched it on to bathe the room in its pale light. Erie shadows leapt up in every corner. 

"Looks like we're all stuck together." the female sub-commander stated. "Do you think they'll mind if we all take our helmets off? My nose is itching something fierce." 

"They won't know. We already took care of the mike and camera here." Jonny informed. 

The male's shock was obvious. "How the Hell did you do that so fast?" 

"Like I said, prior training." Jonny replied as he and Jessie both took off their helmets, Jonny taking a second to help smooth Jessie's hair away from her face. He had been so happy to find her alive that he took any excuse to be in physical contact with her. She smiled at him. The male straightened at the sight of her. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable around him. "Hey, Jess, during these past weeks did you give any thought to were we are?" Jonny asked, not noticing Jessie's sudden unease. 

"A bit. I think we're in that underground complex I showed you in that satellite shot before the crash." she replied as the two other removed their helmets. The woman was a dark eyed brunette, the man a grey eyed brunette. He eyed Jessie with an almost leery smile. 

Jonny again didn't notice. "Pretty much what I thought. I figure they're the same one's who shot us down." 

"You two know each other?" the woman asked. 

Jonny slung an arm around Jessie's shoulders which made the male frown but made her feel suddenly safe. She responded by wrapping her arms around his chest. "Our Dads work together. We've been through some tough times and got through them each and every time. This is Jessie Bannon. I'm Jonny Quest." 

"Kyle Merrick. This is my sister, Samantha. Talk about being lucky, we all ended up with people we know. So, how long _have_ you known each other?" 

"Since we were kids." Jessie replied. "During that time we've gone up against more than enough mad scientists, killer robots, unknown species, mind control devices, virtual reality warfare, and time travel to make the scientific community jealous." 

"Hey, you almost forgot ghostly possessions." Jonny stated with a sly grin as he tightened his hold on her momentarily. 

She returned the grin almost shyly, remembering when she and Jonny had been possessed by the spirits of Lady Caroline and Jean Leger on the ghost island of Mornay in the Bay of Fundy. The ghosts had been lovers and, jilted, they had killed each other; Lady Caroline out of blind jealousy because of a letter she found in Jean's writing to a mainland shop girl, and Jean Leger out of spiteful and heated revenge for his murder by Lady Caroline. They reconciled their differences after centuries of haunting by entering Jessie and Jonny's bodies, the only two people in the world that resembled the ghosts like twins, then sealed their accepted apologies with a passionate kiss whereupon they left the bodies. Of course, they hadn't warned their hosts that this was going to happen and so she and Jonny had remained locked in the kiss for several long moments more. Had Hadji not called them out of their reverie the kiss would have probably gone on for even longer. "Oh, no. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that one." Jonny could have sworn he saw her blush. 

"Sounds like you two have enough experience under your belts to last nine life times." Kyle stated, having noticed the silent exchange and the blush. He didn't like the implications. 

"And more." and Jess grinned at Jonny almost shyly. 

"Um, I have a question that's completely off topic here." Samantha piped up. "Since we're stuck together, what're the sleeping arrangements?" 

"There's a good question." Jonny was the one to answer. "You and Jessie should take one bed and we'll take the other, just in case the trainers decide to walk in for a surprise inspection." 

Kyle became livid. "There you go, delegating commands and living up your role as leader." 

"Hey, I didn't hear you say anything. Besides, I'm not going to be staying in this complex long enough to be a leader to anyone." 

"And that goes double for me." Jessie added. This silenced Kyle. "Now that it's settled, Jonny, can I talk to you for a second?" and she pulled him away to the opposite side of the room to a corner. Then, when Kyle and Samantha were both comfortably settled for the night, and out of earshot, "What's your impression of Kyle?" she asked in an almost frightened whisper, her hand gripping his arm tightly. 

He thought a moment, noticing the tinge in her voice and realizing how high her fear level was towards Kyle. "High strung comes to mind. He loves to be in control of everything. If his way isn't accepted by everyone then he gets dangerous." 

"How dangerous?" 

He sighed with a shudder. "I saw him kill a guy in our barracks over a difference of opinion. Why're you asking all this?" 

"He scares me, Jonny. I don't know... There's something about the way he looks at me." 

He gripped her shoulder reassuringly. "Nah, he's just mad he and his sister aren't leaders of the team. Don't worry about him. As soon as we're gone he'll forget all about us." 

"I hope you're right." and they moved back towards the beds. Kyle and Samantha both insisted on sleeping on the outer side of the beds. Facing the wall Jessie slipped in and out of sleep for several hours. She didn't trust this Kyle they were stuck with. Someone whose blood ran as heated as his was too dangerous and unpredictable to let your guard down around. She hoped Jonny could keep him under control. Suddenly she felt a warm hand at her waist, moving lazily down to her hip, and she knew immediately that it wasn't Samantha. She bolted from the bed to see Kyle stretched lazily on the cot next to where Jessie had just been. "What do you think you're doing?" she shouted, waking Jonny who noticed Samantha was now at his side instead of Kyle. 

Kyle slowly got to his feet and began to move towards Jessie, almost as if he were stalking her. "Only what I knew you wanted, Red." he purred. Jonny interposed himself between the two protectively. Kyle frowned. "The _great_ Jonny Quest to the rescue. You know I always get what I want." 

"She's my friend, Kyle. And this is our room. I won't let you do this." 

"You can't stop me forever. The second you turn your back on me I'll be on you like a fly to flypaper. Then, you'll be dead." he warned, his voice menacingly low. "What I want, I get." Then he turned and went to the bed where his sister lay sleeping once again. 

Jessie, shaken to her core, moved to the other bed and lay down, her back to the wall. Keeping his eye on Kyle's shadowy form across the room Jonny lay down next to her on his back. He felt her hand on his shoulder and he turned his head in response. He was now face to face with her, staring into her unearthly green eyes. _Wow! _he blinked. He had never realized how beautiful she was, with her soft features and cascading rivers of red hair, until now. 

And she had never quite seen his boyish good looks in quite this fashion. There was just no way to describe how he looked to her. Sleeping next to him suddenly made her feel suddenly strange. The feeling was indescribable, pleasant in a way that was beyond words. _Is this what one feels when one..._ She couldn't finish her thought. "Thanks." was all she stated, all she could say over the tightness of her throat. He could only smile as he put an arm around her shoulders so as to let her head rest against his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his chest to keep him close, her head comfortably snugged under his chin. It was a strange feeling having to be this close to each other, but at the same time the feeling was just so... right! Just like when they had kissed. This particular situation was oddly comforting to Jessie. She chuckled suddenly at a thought. "I wonder what our Dads would say if they saw us right now?" 

He laughed quietly at the comment. "Probably something in the lines of," he cleared his throat, "... You kids have an awful lot of explaining to do." he stated in his best imitation of her Father. 

She smiled despite herself. "Or maybe, You kids are still too young to be even thinking of being so close." she added, imitating his Father. 

They both laughed softly and he took this opportunity to wrap his other arm around her. Although he probably would never admit it openly he wanted, always had wanted, to keep her as close as he had her now. She felt so small in his arms. It made him feel suddenly protective of her. Jonny had long ago promised himself that he would never let anything ever hurt her. She was just too important to him. He heard her sigh softly and when he looked down he saw her eyes had closed in sleep. He smiled and leaned his head on hers. "Good night, Jess." he whispered as he closed his own eyes. The last he heard before falling asleep himself was a sleepy mumble from her in acknowledgment and then no more. 

* * * 

Long days rolled by with more intensive training than before. Whereas before the session were more a test of their skills these sessions had a specific target to reach and _take out_. The terrain seemed oddly familiar to Jonny Quest. A large area of coniferous and deciduous covered land, native to the northeast of North America, and some sort of laboratory on a cliff overlooking a large body of water. An ocean maybe. In a way this made him homesick. He and Jessie had spent the time between training sessions rewiring and reprogramming their helmets to their advantage. The first rule they had been taught was always keep one step ahead of the enemy. Right now everyone but themselves were enemies. At the flick of a switch they could go from synthesized computer speech to a garbling that only each other's helmet could decipher and reconvey. They'd also still be able to hear regular English if spoken. It drove Kyle crazy when he realized he hadn't the knowhow to do this, especially when Jessie refused to do the same for him and his sister. They had nothing against Samantha, that shy little girl who spent most of her time in her brother's shadow, it was Kyle they didn't trust. Especially after the stunt he had pulled that first night. Good thing they weren't in the same room anymore, but he was still a threat. At the end of the day he would stalk the corridors, waiting for either of them to be alone just for a moment. They never gave him the opportunity. 

Jonny sat on his cot and watched Jessie tinker with their helmets. _Fine tuning_, she had called it. He was thinking about the training field they had just run. "Did you notice anything familiar about that cliff they make us capture?" he suddenly asked. 

She looked up from her delicate work with a slight puzzled frown. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, think about it. Northeastern North American vegetation, a cliff over looking the ocean, a lab. How many places do you know that have those three things in common?" 

She thought and her eyes widened in realization. "Just one." 

"Right. The Quest Compound in Maine." 

"Then, do you think they know who we are?" 

"I don't think so. If they did we wouldn't be undergoing the same training as all the others. To them we're just two kids they can use." 

"We have to get out of here, then, for two reasons: Alert the authorities to shut this place down and warn our Dads. It's got to be tonight if we want to make the deadline." 

"I managed to rig the door like you said a few days back. You'd have to weld it shut for it to lock." 

"Good. I'm almost finished with the helmets. I found out these suits are radiation proof, but the radiation is only right above the complex. It's sort of a screen for their communications and other such stuff. There're tunnels leading in every which direction leading up to the surface. We'll need gear though for the jungle, supplies. Weapons. And when we reach civilization we'll need money." 

"The depot shed next to the brig. I saw inside it at one time. It has everything we're going to need. As for money I still remember Dad's credit card number and expiry date. All I'll need is a phone and we're on the next flight home." 

The evening wore on and soon the complex resounded with the sound of locking mechanisms being activated. Helmets in place Jessie and Jonny checked the door. It slid open without resistance. Using all the stealth they had been taught here they snuck down the corridors towards the depot shed. Next to it was the barred door of the brig. There was pitch darkness inside. Curiosity being stronger they approached the door. An arm suddenly shot out form the dark towards them. They backed out of reach just in time. The man was clearly in sight now. He was muscular and was wearing clothes meant for a trek through a jungle. His eyes were a piercing blue and his hair a brilliant white. At his side appeared another man, dressed the same way, with peppered brown hair and a beard. His brown eyes regarded the young duo as he restrained his friend. 

"Easy, Race, they're just kids." he stated in an aged and wise voice. 

"Right, Doc, just like the ones who ambushed us. They're as much kids as I'm the Tooth Faery." Race replied in an almost Texan voice. 

""[Dad!]"" Jessie and Jonny exclaimed, but all that came from their helmets' voice synthesizers was a garble of noise. These two prisoners were non other than Doctor Benton Quest, Jonny's Father, and Race Bannon, Jessie's Father. 

"Looks like these two seem to know us." Race continued, having seen the kids' reaction. "You two think you could let us go or are you gonna gawk all night?" 

Jessie held up her index to her helmet, where her mouth would be, in a sign of silence. Quickly the two gained access to the depot and returned to the cell with a miniature arsenal. Jonny also had a crowbar which he jammed into the door's locking mechanism. With a sharp tug the door swung open. Before either adult could do anything an automatic rifle was shoved into their hands. From there they were led off at a run to one of the training fields: the desert. 

"[Last time we were here I saw a camouflaged door on the other end.]" Jonny told his companion. "[If we can get there, I'm almost positive we can get out of here once and for all.]" 

"[Lets do it.]" and the four began their trek. They quickly made it across to the hidden door and then were soon on their way through deep tunnels leading underground. The occasional guards were easily and quietly taken care of. Ahead was an opening which gave way to the thick Brazilian jungle. "[We have two problems to deal with now. The complex when they find out we're gone and come chasing after us. And the jungle life.]" 

"[We've been through worse.]" was all he answered nonchalantly. Once again they were off and running. 

Nocturnal jungle beasts howled and roared at the disturbance these four strangers caused. Thick foliage was no match for them. Soon they came to the base of an immense tree. Who knew how long it had been there to grow this large. Beneath it's roots a small cavern had been dug by some now long gone animal or by the act of wind or water. Race and Benton crawled in, ushered in by their unknown saviors. Once they were all in Race turned around and pointed his weapon at the children. 

"Race, what are you doing?" Benton demanded. 

"Kids or no kids, Doc, I don't trust them." 

Jonny raised his hand to his helmet and flicked the switch. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there." came the computerized male voice. 

"I _thought_ you could understand us." 

"More than you know, Race." 

"First of all, that familiarity thing doesn't work with me. You'll call me Bannon." 

"I don't think I could ever call you Bannon." Jessie piped up, switching her helmet synthesizer off as well. 

"Gee, and just three months ago you wanted me to call you Racer from time to time, only I called you Roger." Jonny replied. 

The rifle lowered slightly as sudden realization began to sink in. "Fur on a catfish!" he breathed. "It can't be." 

Benton also realized what was happening and removed Jonny's helmet, giving his Son a tight hug. Jessie and Race did the same. "What happened to you two?" Father asked Son after a long moment. 

"We were flying over to see Estella, just like we planned, but I guess the pilot was sold out to those creeps at the complex. We were shot out of the sky. Probably explains why there were only kids onboard. Next thing I remember I'm waking up in some sort of hospital room and being told everyone else was dead. Then I was drafted into covert operations for them. No one's allowed to remove their helmets or do anything that would mark them as an individual. Dad, they're planning to use the kids to hit the Compound. We've been training for it this past week." 

"When do they plan to hit?" demanded Race urgently. 

Jessie was the one to answer. "If the pattern holds it'll be in the next few days, five at the most." 

"What're they after?" 

"We don't know. We've only been taught to take out the defenses and then stand our ground. The trainers are the ones who actually go in and do the rest, whatever that might be." 

"One last question." Benton began. "If no one showed any outward sign of individuality, how did you two figure out you were both there?" 

She smiled. "That was luck actually." 

"During the sessions each person is scored on performance. Jessie and my score were closely matched so we were paired off. After being assigned quarters and getting rid of the surveillance gizmos we took off our helmets." 

"Thinking the other was dead, I can imagine your surprise." the Doctor concluded with a grin. 

Jonny smiled and made a dismissive gesture as he reached into one of the packs he and Jessie had brought. He pulled out three pack blankets and handed them to his friends and Father. "You guys get some sleep while you can. I'll take first watch." And, turning to Jessie, "You and I both know Kyle'll be with the first wave." Then, taking his rifle, he went to stand just at the entrance to the cavern. She had to smile at the sight of him carrying a rifle. Even after the training they had to endure she knew he would never be able to shoot it to take a life. It just wasn't in his blood. Jessie waited just long enough for the adults to go to sleep before joining Jonny outside. She kept the blanket tight around her shoulders. He turned to her. "You really should get some sleep. At least one of us has to be fully alert." 

She shrugged. "For some reason I just can't get to sleep. I don't know if I'll be able to go back to normal life after all this." 

He chuckled. "Our lives were normal?" 

A laugh forced itself out of her throat. "Guess you're right." When he changed his rifle to his other shoulder she leaned against him, her cheek to his arm. "Tell me something. What do you think our chances are of getting out of this one without some form of payback?" 

Jonny sighed. "Do you really want an answer?" 

"Guess not. You know they won't find us tonight. They have maybe a hundred people back there, max. There's no way they can search every possible escape route we could've taken so why don't you come and get some rest." 

"Kyle won't give up even if everyone else does. He'll find us even if it takes his whole life, mainly to get you. I realize that now." She heard anger in his voice and something else she couldn't quite place. "Besides, that's the last blanket." he pointed out, indicating the one around her shoulders. 

She smiled sweetly at him as she tugged at his arm to pull him back towards the small cavern. They sat against the wall, near their Fathers. She laid her head against his chest, covering them both with the blanket, and soon both were soundly asleep. As the sun crept up over the horizon Race was the first awake to greet it. Raising up to his knees he looked to his Daughter. He was greatly surprised to find her and Jonny snuggled in each other's arms, sound asleep. Both seemed completely comfortable with this. The hint of smiles tugged at the corners of their lips. Reaching over Race shook Benton awake. 

"Wh- What is it?" the Doctor mumbled, wiping sleep from his eyes. 

"Shh." he hissed. "Look." and he pointed to the kids. 

"Oh my." Benton exclaimed softly at the sight. 

Race approached the duo and gently shook them awake. Groggily they came to their senses and realized with a start that their Fathers had seen them sleeping. He grinned at their sudden discomfort, but thankfully didn't pursue the matter. Instead he rushed everyone out of the cavern and had them plunge back into the jungle. They were still at several days' march away from civilization and the _Questor_, a yacht sized catamaran, moored at Fortaléza, Brazil. Race took the point for their small group as Jonny brought up the rear. Jessie was ahead of him and behind Benton. Soon the jungle began to thin as the sun beat down mercilessly on the escapees. Dangerous animals had stayed away, probably more afraid of the group them they were of them. A dirt path, large enough for industrial vehicles, opened up before them. They followed it quietly, keeping close to the side vegetation in case they needed to take cover. A large pick-up truck appeared around the next bend in the road and came to a slow stop next to the travelers. The man at the wheel, an American foreman by his appearance, leaned out of the window. 

"You hombres lost?" he asked in an accent that attested to the fact that he had been in this part of the world a long time. 

"You could say that." Race opted to say. "Any chance you're heading for Fortaléza?" 

"You guys are having a very lucky day then. You found me and I'm heading for the city you want. Hop in the back and I'll take you. Americanos have to help Americanos, right?" Then he noticed Jessie and Jonny who were once again wearing their helmets. He frowned. "Assassinos!" he spat while the adults were climbing in. 

Race turned back suddenly. "What was that?" 

"Your friends here. They belong to that murderous bunch in the jungle. Last night they killed fourteen of my workers, which is why I'm heading to town. Don't turn your backs on them for a second or you'll find a knife in it." Then, when everyone was aboard, he took off down the road again at a frantic pace. At this rate it would take them a fraction of the time to reach the coast then if they had walked. Ration packs taken from the complex were shared between them and stories from the time spent there were told to help pass the time. The sun seemed to race across the sky as the blue coast got closer and closer. As it began it's descent in the West they arrived in Fortaléza. Race told the driver to head from the local authorities there, when they disembarked, the driver turned to them one last time. "I'm telling you, amigos. First chance you get lock up those two assassinos." and he drove off. 

"That guy's really spooked of you two, Ponchita." Race stated. 

"Well founded fear, Dad. Some of the trainings were held around villages to terrorize the inhabitants. No one ever got hurt before last night." 

After several long hours of explaining and re-explaining to the United States Ambassador, who had flown down an hour after receiving word from them, what they had seen and been through, and after a confirmation that something would be done right away to stop the complex's activities, the Quests and the Bannons left for the port. The _Questor_ sat there in all its imposing glory, drawing a crowd of curious on-lookers. No one in Fortaléza had ever seen a ship such as this. It had tall sail masts, large port and starboard pontoons, and what looked like a research lab/ lounge. Many people stayed mainly to see who the owners of this splendid vessel were. The Quests and the Bannons almost had to fight there way through just to reach their ship. Once on board Jessie removed her helmet, went off to the quarters which were usually reserved for her and threw herself down on the mattress. It caved away slightly under her weight. Now this was a real mattress. Far beneath her she heard the gentle thrum of the engines being turned on as the ship was taken out of the docks. She ran for the terrace deck and watched the land being slowly pushed away by the ship's powerful engines. The ocean had turned a rich orange from the setting sun, a thin line of black growing on the East horizon. Jonny was sitting on the guard rail not far away so she joined him, leaning on the same rail. He too had taken his helmet off. His blond hair seemed to glow in the waning light as his eyes twinkled. 

"I wouldn't mind coming back here someday. As a tourist mind you." he voiced, turning to her only to have his breath stolen away by the fierce fires burning in the colors of her hair. 

"Maybe during Carnival next year, in Rio." she added. 

"I think I know a place you two would rather go right now, though." Benton stated as he approached them. "In fact, you have a friend there who's planning a celebration that's happening in the next few days." 

"Where's this, Dad?" 

"Bangalore, India." 

Their faces suddenly lit up. "Hadji. What's he planning?" Jessie inquired. 

"None other than a celebration of both your birthdays. Seeing as they're so far apart he picked a date in the middle." 

"Our-- Darn, I almost forgot about that. But leave it to Hadji to go all out like this." 

"Well, he is Sultan you know." said Jonny. 

"Until then why don't you kids go get some sleep. You look extremely tired." 

"I don't feel it, Dad." 

"Nor do I." 

"Never-the-less, a Father knows best. Good night you two." and he gave each a hug. They passed Race in the lounge and bade him good night where upon he mussed up Jonny's hair affectionately and kissed his Daughter on her forehead. Then the duo left for their rooms. 

* * * 

Late into the night Jonny still lay awake in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He was wearing some of his old clothes he had found in a drawer, a grey cotton sweater and some denim jeans. It was all great and good to finally be safe, in his own clothes, and in a comfortable bed, but sleep was just not willing to come to him. An uneasy feeling gnawed at his soul, chasing all sleep from his mind. There was something missing right now to help him sleep, but he didn't know what. At this time of night he knew the ship was on automatic pilot. Everyone else was asleep. He decided to get up and go to the galley. Maybe a warm drink would help him sleep. Walking down the corridor he crossed Jessie's open door and then suddenly stopped. Peering in he saw she was sitting on the edge of her bed, fully awake, dressed in a pale green T-shirt and black stretch pants. She seemed pensive and ethereal in the darkness. 

"Jess?" 

She looked up at him, her eyes seeming to glow. "I couldn't sleep either." was all she answered. 

"I'm starting to think _they_ had something to do with this. I was heading for the galley..." and he hooked his thumb in the direction he had been headed. She took the wind-breaker from the foot of the bed, put it on, and followed him to the galley. He put a small pot of milk on the stove to heat. "Mom used to do this when I was a kid. You know, somehow she always knew when I needed her, for anything." 

"Yes, she was good at that." came Benton's voice from the corridor. "I heard you two talking. Is everything okay?" 

"Sorry if we woke you, Doctor Quest. We couldn't sleep." 

"That's quite alright." He approached his Son as this one poured the warmed milk into three cups containing cocoa powder. "You miss your Mother?" 

"Always." They sat together in the lounge, Jessie staying close to Jonny's side as a comforting presence. He let the warmth of the beverage seep through the mug to his hands, adding some comfort. He took a long sip, enjoying the thick silence for a moment. "Sometimes, late at night, I can still hear her voice, her singing. It's like she's not really gone, just in another room somewhere, just out of sight, out of reach. But it's getting harder and harder to remember her face though. Is that something bad?" 

It was such an innocent question from him. Jessie put her cup down, gently took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "No." she answered. "It's just sad." He sighed heavily as she placed his cup next to her own and pulled him into her arms, an act that surprised Benton Quest. She held him around the chest, unwittingly forcing him to turn towards her slightly. He leaned back against the couch and held her tight. It was so oddly comforting and calming. "How old was he?" Jessie suddenly asked the Doctor. 

Benton had to shake himself out of staring at them to answer. "Barely three. He never quite understood until years later, not long after you left after your first visit. And then it hit him all at once. If I remember right he had locked himself in his room for close to a week, crying. We had to break the door down to get to him." 

"It probably made him wish for his stuffed tiger, Tommy." Then, after a quiet moment. "What was she like, I only ever saw her painting and in photos?" 

"Rachel was beautiful, the face of an angel." and he looked away in reminiscence. "The day I met her in Ireland I knew she was the woman I would marry. I guess she had felt the same way too because before I knew it she and I began seeing each other on a regular basis. She was incredible, always searching for adventure in every situation, that's where Jonny gets it. She loved to read and hear old Irish poetry and we would sit under an oak reading long into the night. Almost three months later I proposed to her under the same tree during what she called a Faery Moon." At that moment his mind wandered to the images of his departed wife. He remembered her long blond hair, her ethereal blue eyes, the way she smelled of wild magnolias when she passed. Then he sighed sadly and turned back to the kids. Both had fallen asleep, still locked in each other's arms. Benton chuckled softly and covered them both with a cover that lay nearby, and he kissed his Son's head. He noticed how Jonny had grown into a fine young man, his features hinted with aspects of his Mother's face. The smile remained when he thought that this face was probably one of the factors that would, later on, get Jonny into a lot of trouble with the ladies. "Sleep tight, kids." and he took the cups to the galley to dump and wash them. 

"Thought I heard some noise." Race stated as he entered the galley, straightening his hair with his hand. 

"Sorry, Race, but the kids couldn't sleep." and he turned back to the lounge with a grin. 

The ex-Covert Operation's officer followed his gaze and saw his Daughter sleeping peacefully in his friend's Son's arms. "They're starting to make a habit of this." he muttered half-heartedly. "I don't know if I should be worried or be happy about it all." 

"Think about it, Race. They've been through an incredible experience; thought the other was dead, forced into an underground militia, and learned that training was geared towards killing. They found each other again and through sheer luck ended up paired off. From then on they only had each other, could only rely on each other to get through the months. It was bound to create an emotional bond between them." 

"You're right, as usual, Doc. I guess I couldn't ask for a better guy for her though. After all, they've been friends since they were toddlers." He sighed heavily. The older she got the more she looked like Estella Velasquez, his ex-wife. She _was_ a looker. "They grow up so fast... too fast" he breathed as he saw Jonny inhale deeply in unrest and tighten his arms around Jessie's shoulders. This caused her to snuggle closer to him. 

The days went by quickly on the ship, and every night Benton or Race would find Jessie and Jonny nuzzled together somewhere on the ship, fast asleep. Otherwise they would remain fully awake until one of them came in physical contact with the other. At that sleep seemed to come easily. They seemed to be a calming presence to the each other. 

Within three days of leaving Fortaléza they came within sight of the coast of South Africa. Madagascar followed only two days after that. Soon the coast of India and the port of Mangalore came into view. Many people were assembled on the pier as they landed and the sailors soon discovered why. A helicopter was not far away in an open area surrounded by numerous private guards and other police officials. One young man stood out against all the khaki and whites of security. His clothes were silk and colored Royal Yellow. On his turban and around his neck he wore a red ruby, symbol of his status in India. He was a Sultan. A joyous smile was on his face as he saw the owners of the ship disembark. Jessie and Jonny ran to him like children. The Sultan, Hadji Singh, held them both tightly in greeting, surprising many of the onlookers and the guards. "Welcome to India, my friends. I am most happy to see you both alive and well." 

"It takes more than a plane crash to stop us, Hadji." Jessie chuckled. 

"Don't I know it. Now come, our transportation back to the palace is waiting. I have prepared a splendid celebration for your birthdays in a modest attempt to repay your friendship and help you have given me over the years. It all begins at sundown tonight." 

During the flight to Bangalore they talked about the celebration ahead. Flattered, the duo maintained that all their friend had planned wasn't necessary, but Hadji wouldn't hear it. His subjects had happily helped in the planning and preparations in thanks for those who had returned their rightful ruler to the throne. After arriving at the palace the young trio and two adults were joined by Hadji's Mother and they went to the surrounding village where today was Market Day. Countless tables and kiosks had been assembled to line every street of Bangalore. There was a colorful array of textiles, metals, pottery, and animals. Loud sounds and wondrous sights reigned supreme. Mrs. Neela Singh drew Jessie off into one direction while the men continued off in another. Jessie and Neela scoured the tables, looking at the exotic wares and trinkets. The Sultan's Mother noticed the particular attention Jessie paid to each item as if trying to decide which one was better. 

"Are you looking for something in particular?" she finally asked the young woman. 

It caught her slightly off-guard. "Uh... no... yes..." she began. Then, after a slight moment, "I want something to give to Jonny, something special. We've been through a lot in the past few years and I want something that says what I feel about that time and him." 

"Ah, a gift from the heart. Not always the easiest thing to find even when so much choice is offered such as here. But, chances are, we will come close." 

They came to one table where an old crone sat, smiling at passers-by, almost uninterested in selling her wares. And what wares! Everything glinted of fine, polished metals and sparkled of intricately cut stones. For some reason, looking at these wares, Jessie felt she would find exactly what she was looking for. 

Almost across the village from them, the men were also scouring tables and kiosks. While Hadji and Benton discussed the archeological and historical value of many of the presented items, Jonny took Race aside, just out of earshot of the other two. "Race, what do you think Jessie would like for her birthday?" he asked. 

"Why ask me? I'm just her Father." came the joking reply. 

"And better placed than anyone to know what she likes." 

He smiled slyly in understanding. "You want to give her something special." Jonny hunched his shoulders shyly and looked at the surrounding tables. "You two really have gotten close." 

Jonny shrugged, hoping it looked non-committal. "I just want to get something special for someone who's special to me." His eye caught the glinting of an object nearby. He looked down and saw the most amazing of necklaces. It was simple and yet splendid in its simplicity. A single chain of gold held a half dollar sized green stone bordered in gold. At a closer inspection he saw a clasp on one side. "And I think I may have found just the thing." He held it up to catch the light and green sparks seemed to explode from it. And within its green depths was enclosed a golden serpent dragon. Hadji came to his friend's side and regarded the locket. "It's perfect. Think she'll like it?" he asked the Sultan. 

"Most assuredly, my friend. This is a gift any woman would wish to have in her possession, especially coming from a good friend." he smiled in a conspiring manner. "Shouldn't a locket have something in it though?" 

"I think I know exactly what to put in it." He quickly bought it, and an ornate mahogany box, and did his best to make it as inconspicuous as possible as Jessie and Neela returned. Jessie too was hiding something from sight, but he didn't question. After all, if he questioned her about what she bought she would inevitably question him on what he bought. They headed back to the palace to prepare for Hadji's celebration. In Jonny's room Hadji offered the first of his many gifts to his friend; a sky blue, silk Indian garb, an almost exact copy to that of the young Sultan. Also included was a shoulder to hip white silk sash with a ruby broach on the shoulder, a broach once belonging to Hadji. The young Sultan himself wore a gold version of his gift to Jonny with white pants. "This is really too much, Hadj." 

"You haven't yet seen what my Mother is offering Jessie to wear. I believe the expression of your reaction to her when you see her is, _blown away_." 

Hiding the small wooden box in a pocket in his sash Jonny followed his friend to a large banquet hall furnished with low set tables and numerous plush pillows in true Indian style. Everything gleamed of gold and shimmered of silk. Race and Benton were decked out in the finest Hadji could supply. All who were missing were Neela and Jessie. They didn't have long to wait. Neela appeared in her most regal attire and behind her was a sight that pleasantly shocked the four men present. Dressed in a slightly greenish silver, tight gown, part of her red hair tied back in an elegant braid, was Jessie who suddenly looked more beautiful than humanly possible. The gown was tight from the waist up with a daring plunging neckline and long sleeves. It flowed loosely about her legs. A matching sash to that of Jonny's was draped from her shoulder to hip with a similar ruby broach. 

Race went up to her and wrapped her in his arms. "You really are growing up." he stated softly. "And you look like a real princess." 

"Thanks, Dad." She turned to the others and twirled in place just fast enough for the gown to rise up slightly to reveal a pair of silvery green, ankle-wrap high heels. "So, guys, what do you think?" 

"I believe that the world has never seen a greater beauty than yours." Hadji stated with an awed bow. 

Jessie blushed as Jonny nudged the young Sultan's side. "You ol' smoothy." he muttered jokingly. "You look incredible, Birthday Girl." he then told her. 

She curtsied slightly with a smile. "Thank you, and you look very handsome, Birthday Boy." and he blushed. _He's so cute when that happens_, she thought as she took his arm. 

The evening festivities began with much music, dancers, and acrobats hired to entertain them as they semi-lounged on the large cushions. They were the best in all of India. Exotic dishes were served to the cautious guests followed closely by sweet drinks. Everything complimented each other in sound and flavor. So much so that Jonny suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all. Carefully, so as no one would notice, he slipped away from the banquet hall to one of the open air corridors lining the main court yard. Looking down he saw he was on the fourth floor, a cool breeze wafting by the help clear his senses. He sat on the edge of the stone banister and watched the moon's silver orb rise over the mountains. What looked like a flare followed it and exploded in a multitude of bright colors. 

Fireworks. 

"Enjoying the show, my friend?" came Hadji's voice behind him. 

He turned as Hadji and Jessie approach. "Sorry I left without warning. I needed some air." 

"Quite understandable. I did go a bit, how you say, _overboard_ with the celebrations." 

"There's an understatement." Jessie mumbled. "But the thought was appreciated. And what a thought. I feel like a princess in a Faery tale." 

Hadji chuckled. "The night is young, my friends. Enjoy it. Meanwhile I will see to your Fathers." and he bade them good night before leaving. 

"He means well." Jonny began as he got off the banister. 

"Even if he does go overboard with his gifts. Speaking of gifts..." She produced a small wooden box from a fold in her gown and presented it to him. "Happy Birthday." 

"What's this?" 

"Your present, silly." and she pushed it into his hands with a wide grin. "Open it." 

He did as he was told and found a half dollar sized gold oval, with an intricately carved gold oriental dragon on it, hanging from a gold chain. Red gem stones in its eyes sparkled ferociously. "Jess, this is incredible!" he marveled. 

"I thought you'd like it." She took it from him and slipped it over his head. "Open it." 

"There's more?" 

"An added surprise you'll really love." she shrugged. 

He pried the dragon locket open and gasped silently at the sight. There was only one picture in it, a blond woman with rich blue eyes smiling happily. He recognized her immediately. "Mom." he breathed. "Aw, Jess, thank you." 

"Your Father helped me find a picture of her. You like it?" 

"I love it, thank you." and he wrapped her in his arms to hold her tight. She gratefully returned the hug, secretly enjoying the feel of his silk shirt against her bare throat. Then he suddenly pulled away. 

"What is it?" 

"My turn." He pulled a small box from his sash and held it out to her. "This's for you." 

She gingerly opened the box to reveal the green stone locket he had gotten for her. She took a step back in surprise as he took it out of its box and held it up to the moonlight. She was utterly speechless, watching it spark in the dimness. Jonny moved to stand behind her and cinched it around her throat as she cradled the hollow gem. It had been slightly cold on her skin. He then reached around her shoulders and opened the locket for her, revealing a picture of both of her parents, Hadji, Doctor Quest, and himself in one shot. "Jonny, this is perfect." 

He looked down at his own pendant then wrapped her in his arms. "Looks like we had the same idea." 

"With all those years together something was bound to rub off." she shrugged, leaning back against him. 

He chuckled with a shake of his head when a sudden explosion caught his attention. It was close by and it didn't really fit with those of the fireworks. The ground had trembled slightly in time to the explosion. "Did that explosion sound different to you?" 

"Kind of. You don't think...?" 

"Let's check it out, just to be on the safe side." and he led the run along the balconies to the outer walls. It took them a moment but soon they found what had to be the cause of the explosion. There were several people gathered at the base of the thinnest wall, all of them wearing familiar looking helmets, applying a substance to the stones. Lighting it, it exploded violently. "It's an attack." 

"And with all the fireworks going off the guards can't tell this explosion from the show." One of the perpetrators suddenly looked up and saw the duo on the wall's edge. He gave what sounded like a war cry and numerous grappling hooks appeared to scale the wall. "They saw us. Now what?" 

"We get help, what else." and he grabbed her hand, running back to the banquet hall. After informing their family and friends everything went quickly. Guards went right to work and, strangely, Hadji retrieved a bone horn from its place of honor on the wall. He went to a window and blew the horn as hard as he could. Its deep, low ululation resounded in the night far to the mountains on the horizon. "What good will that do, Hadj?" 

"It will bring reinforcements. I have recently signed a peace accord with a mountain tribe that no one could defeat, even after so many centuries of existence. They came to me after hearing on my return and willingly offered their services in any matter, mostly defense." 

"If they're from the mountains they can't possibly get here in time to help." As more explosions filled the air, unconnected to the on-going fireworks, the most horrific screech shattered the night. Instinctively Jessie grabbed at the closest arm available, Jonny's. "What was that?" she asked, her voice suddenly shaky. 

Neela smiled as she looked up towards the ceiling. "Our reinforcements." 

The guests tried to move towards one of the windows to get a view of the proceedings, but both the young Sultan and his Mother stopped them. "No, my friends. It is safer if you remain here, away from the battle scene." 

"Why's that?" Race asked, perplexed. Outside, the sounds of battle were already dying down. 

"Because you are unprepared to actually see us." came a new voice from the window. There, perched precariously in a crouch on the edge of the balcony, was a woman dressed in scant armor and leather. Her long cape and long brown hair floated in a breeze, her face hidden purposefully behind a form-fitting gold mask. A long, particularly deadly looking spear decorated with leather, feathers, and beads was held in one hand and a sword rested at her left hip. "We are not exactly the most normal looking of beings, mythological or otherwise." Two more women, dressed in vaguely the same manner, appeared behind her as she approached the small group. One had a silver mask, the other a brass one. All three women knelt before Hadji and his Mother in respect. "The battle is almost won, Sultan." 

"Were they many?" Hadji asked, unfazed by their actions and appearance. 

"We were out-numbered twenty to one, Sultan." answered the woman to the leaders left. 

Jonny was amazed. "And you won?" 

"We are winning, we haven't won yet." the leader corrected. There was a long cry from the outer corridor. A man, one of the attackers, his face hidden behind a familiar looking helmet, burst through the door with a captured spear in hand. He took instant aim for the Sultan and threw the spear. Jessie could only watch in what seemed like slow motion as Jonny pushed his friend aside to safety, but wasn't fast enough to get out of the way himself of the deadly projectile. As a result it embedded itself deep in the young man's chest, knocking him to the floor. 

"JONNY!!!" Jessie cried as she watched him fall. 

Almost immediately the two women behind the leader threw their own spears at the attacker, pinning him at the shoulders to a nearby wall. The leader, her spear promptly nestled under the attacker's chin, glared into the mask's dark visor. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." she hissed. 

"I don't have any reason so go ahead and kill me." he replied without fear. 

She backed away a step. "A man willing to kill and then die himself is a man without honor who should live with the guilt of his crimes. Death will not be an escape. Corail, Jena, take charge of him. He'll answer for his crimes at the caves." 

Meanwhile Hadji and Doctor Quest were bent over Jonny's form, trying vainly to do something to save his life. Benton had taken both Jessie's sash and his Son's sash and had them pressed into the wound. Jonny's pain blanked eyes stared up into nothingness, blinking away tears every so often. The spear had been removed, against all better judgement, and blood oozed freely from a severed artery. With each beat of his heart his body gushed with the precious liquid. A gurgling sound came with his every ragged breath. A few paces away Neela and Race were having trouble restraining Jessie. She wanted to go to him, hold him, lend him her life so he would live. She couldn't lose him, not like this. The leader came to her for support, holding her shoulders in an almost vice like grip. Green eyes stared up into unearthly grey eyes, pleading desperately through uncontrolled tears. "If you have any medical skills, please, don't let him die." Her voice shook out of fear for his life. 

The leader held her in her arms in a Motherly fashion. "He will not die, Little One, if we can be allowed to help. There is a price though." 

"I'll pay anything to save my Son." Benton stated urgently. 

"Even if it means he will never return to civilization again?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Sultan has been to our caves and has seen our people without the masks. He knows what I mean." 

Benton turned to the young Sultan at this, waiting. Hadji sighed. "They are known as the Children of the Dragon and for a simple reason. Each have had life threatening injuries like Jonny's at one time or another and were healed with a miracle that left them scarred for life. They have the traits and scales of lizards now." 

"This miracle cure causes mutations?" Doctor Quest asked. 

"Not quite." the leader continued. She removed her mask to reveal a face covered in thick reptilian scales. The Bannons and Doctor Quest were shocked at the sight. "Our DNA is combined with that of the Dragon's blood. In women it takes a few weeks for the Change to begin showing and even then they are slow in progressing. In men the Change is immediate and complete. Everything outwardly recognizable about him will be gone. Our scientists haven't yet found a way to stop this process without removing the curing properties. But you can decide when we get to the caves. His life is hanging by a thin thread." 

Doctor Quest looked at his Son's blood on his hands and made his decision. "How far are these caves?" 

"By any means except air, five days. By air, three hours." 

"No helicopter can fly that fast and no plane can land anywhere near here." Race informed. 

"Who said anything about planes and helicopters." She moved closer to the window she had entered from. "Draco!" she called. 

A large lizard's head, complete with spiked horns and glistening scales, appeared from below the sill. "Yes, Dearest." it answered softly, its voice a manly Scottish sound. 

Benton, Race and Jessie were awe struck. It was a Dragon, an actual living Dragon. "We must leave now. We have an injured who needs our help." 

He looked past her to where Jonny lay. "The boy is already near death's door." Then, seeing Jessie's reaction to his words, "Solara will be waiting when we arrive." He turned his mighty head to the courtyard behind him. "Children, we leave now! You four, come here." Four huge lizards with Riders approached as Draco reached through the window to Jonny. He gently scooped him up, along with his Father, and deposited them both on the lizard's back. "Fly on ahead. We'll catch up." Spreading large leathery wings, the lizard leapt into the air and flew off with it's precious cargo. Neela was next to be placed with a Rider, then Race, and then Hadji. 

"You will ride with me, Little One." the leader stated as she helped Jessie onto Draco's back and then climbed on in front of her. With three beats of leathery wings Draco took to the skies after the other Dragons. "You care for the boy very much, don't you?" she suddenly asked as they streaked past mountains and wide valleys. 

"Jonny and I have been through too much for me not to feel anything for him. I... I don't know, I think... I love him." She felt like a sudden pang in her heart as she finally voiced her feelings. It didn't hurt, it was more like a pleasurable kind of pain. _What's that about?_

"Then you should tell him." Draco stated, his great wings beating the air. 

"Maybe... someday. I'm just scared that he doesn't feel the same for me. Tell me something though, I know his name is Draco but what about yours?" she suddenly asked the leader. 

She laughed. "With all that happened I completely forgot the introductions." 

"Age does that, Dearest." and she jokingly slapped the back of his scaly neck as he chuckled. 

"And you should know. Forgive me, Little One. I am Drayca Eltanin, Battle Leader to the Children." 

"Jessie Bannon. You already know Hadji and Neela. The others are Race Bannon, my Father, Jonny Quest and his Father, Doctor Benton Quest." 

"Doctor?" 

"Yeah, a Phenomenologist and one of the best scientists the world has to offer. If any one can find a cure for you guys it's Doctor Quest." 

"I hope so, for your friend's sake." Not far ahead the rest of the flying Dragons seemed to disappear, swallowed up by a looming mountain. Jessie could feel their momentum slowing as Draco came in for a gentle landing at the mouth of a cave. He followed the rest of the group in, lumbering like some awkward animal, and soon arrived at an anti-chamber where an ochre colored Dragon stood waiting. Doctor Quest was at its feet with Jonny cradled limply in his arms. A large crimson stain had formed where the spear once had been. His skin was pale with an ashen hue. Jessie could feel a tightening in her heart as she realized just how close he was to dying. Could the Children of the Dragon really bring him back? With a nod from Draco a small group of robed figures approached Benton and took Jonny away down a tunnel. The ochre Dragon followed. Easing themselves to the ground Jessie and Drayca dismounted to join their friends. The Battle Leader blocked their path when they were to enter the tunnel. "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to enter the Healing Chamber when a life hangs in the balance." 

"But he's my Son--" Doctor Quest protested. 

"And you have our sympathies, Doctor Quest, but any minute change in this ritual and you will lose him. In this, you cannot help. You can, though, help him in another way. Jessie tells me you are a scientist. Help our scientists find a cure and your Son won't have to endure our disorder." 

"It's worth a try, Doctor Quest." Jessie urged. 

"Meanwhile, I'm just here for decoration." Race grunted. 

"Of course not, Mr. Bannon. You are a warrior, are you not?" 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." 

"My Riders need more modern training, something to make us effective in today's world." 

"Shoot, why not. It'll keep me busy 'til news comes about Jonny." 

"Jena is my Second-in-Command. She will take you to the Training Center." and the two left. Drayca then bowed to Hadji and his Mother. "And you, My Sultan." 

"We will go to the Crystal Grotto and meditate. Perhaps we may help in this way." 

"Do you need a guide, Sultan?" 

"No, I believe I can remember the way, thank you." and he led his Mother off down another tunnel. 

She turned back to Benton and Jessie, an arm outstretched to indicate still another tunnel. "Please, the Lab is this way." Draco followed close behind as the walked down torch lit corridors. The tunnel branched in several different directions, but Drayca never slowed in her trek. At each branch Doctor Quest and Jessie could see numerous people and just as many Dragons idling or preforming some task or another. Ahead was an opening through which bright light poured out. In this chamber were desks upon desks of laboratory equipment, all state of the art. Twelve robed beings hovered over equipment as results were turned in from machines. "Gentlemen." Drayca called to them. They turned to reveal completely transformed men. All were lizard in appearance. The newcomers couldn't stop their horrified, if not surprised, reactions. "This is Doctor Benton Quest and Jessie Bannon. They'll be helping you find a cure." 

One of the men stepped forward. "Why iss thiss?" he hissed in a raspy voice. 

"His Son is undergoing a Healing as we speak." 

The lizard-man nodded in understanding. "Then he iss welcome to help." 

She turned to the guests. "He's Cur'ail, eldest of the scientists. Any questions you may have, ask him. The others are his Sons, Grandsons and Great-Grandsons." 

"Great-Grandsons? How old is he?" Benton wondered. 

"Many centuriess younger than Drayca, but old enough to have probably sseen your Grandfather'ss birth, Doctor Quesst." Cur'ail replied. 

Jessie looked to Drayca in shock. "_Centuries_?" 

"Ah... yes. It's another side-effect of the Dragon's blood. So long as the Dragons who shared their blood with us still live, and Dragons live to be several thousands of years old, we continue to live as well. I was three when the Healing was preformed on me the first time. I stopped aging at twenty six. I am now twenty years shy of nine hundred." 

"Then, Jonny..." 

"Will be virtually immortal, yes." There was a sudden incredible scream from somewhere in the tunnels, a familiar sounding cry of pain. In response Draco lay in front of the entrance to keep Doctor Quest and Jessie from running off. "Yes, that was your Son, Doctor Quest. The Change has begun. It feels like fire coursing through the veins, but it subsides after a few moments. By then, he will have ceased to look like your Son." 

"Will we be able to see him?" the worried Father asked. 

"In a while. Right now the Healers are helping him adapt to his new predicament. This can take several hours, days if he resists the Change. Hopefully he will be one who will remain stable afterwards. Presently, you have a more important task to concentrate on." 

Doctor Quest nodded and turned to the scientists. They led him and Jessie around the Lab, explaining each machine and their uses. Each test and result were shown to them and theories were shared. Everything from environment to climate to diet was examined and subsequently ruled out. Draco and Drayca had remained in the Lab during those long hours, watching, waiting, hoping. At one point, long into the next day, Drayca noticed how sleep had crept up on young Jessie. She was sitting at one of the desks, looking through a microscope, but she kept squinting and rubbing her eyes as if she couldn't see clearly. She approached her. "You should get some sleep, Miss Jessie." 

"I can't, not yet." 

"Everything will be clearer after a long rest. Right now you risk making mistakes." 

"But..." 

"No _but_s. Come, Little One. I will take you to a room where you can sleep." 

She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she got to her feet. "You said earlier that you hoped Jonny remained stable. What did you mean?" 

Drayca sighed heavily as she began to lead Jessie away. "The Change also causes changes in behavior, bringing on an eventual state of feral animal dominance, mostly in males. In the past eight hundred years there have been over two hundred affected. All of them were eventually, and regrettably, killed for the survival of the Children. Many were my good friends." 

"Heavy." was all she could find to say. Deep down she hoped Jonny wouldn't be affected by the Change in the way Drayca described. Half blind from sleep Jessie was led through countless tunnels to a comfortably furnished chamber. She was hardly aware that Drayca had left her at the door to this new chamber. In a corner was a large pile of huge cushions and blankets. She let herself drop gratefully to the pile and was in and out of sleep for the next few hours. Permanent sleep just wouldn't come to her and she knew why. Someone was missing, Jonny was missing. She didn't dream, or at least wasn't aware of a dream. A faint rustling woke her completely and she looked around the darker than dark room. She couldn't see anything. There were no windows, no light coming through the door, and no lamp anywhere near her. There was another sound, like that of a soft sigh, and something dropped down heavily on the pillows next to her. Jessie quickly sat up and backed up into what she hoped was a wall. "Who's there?" 

"Drayca ssaid you'd be here." came a slightly familiar, raspy voice. His eyes could easily see through the dark and he was nearly breathless from his heart beating so hard. She was so beautiful, with wisps of hair falling out of her braid and her gown torn around the hem and sleeves. Her unearthly green eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, like her locket at her throat. 

She held her breath. "Jonny?" She reached out blindly into the dark. "Where are you?" 

A coarse hand took her wrist and guided it to a face in the dark. "Right here." It didn't feel like skin. It was coarse and scaly, the features were also all wrong to be Jonny. And she had felt claws at the tips of his fingers. She pulled her hand away, perhaps a little too quickly. She heard him sigh sadly. "You can't ssee me and yet you're sscared of me." 

"It's because I can't see you that I'm scared." 

There was a rattle of wooden matches in a box, as if he had started for the lamp and then had second thoughts about lighting it. "No, I don't want you to ssee me like thiss." 

"But I want to see you. What if you're trapped this way for the rest of your life?" There was no response but she could tell he was still there. She reached out again and found his face on her first try. She gently traced his cheek bone with her finger tips and he turned his face into her hand, nuzzling her palm. "You can see in the dark. Give me the matches and help me find the lamp." There was a long silent pause before she finally felt the match box being pressed into her hand. He then took her wrists and guided her over to the edge of the pillow pile. Her hands touched the cool surface of glass and metal, an oil lamp. She kneeled before it, carefully took out a match and struck it on the box's flint. It flared to life, hurting her eyes with the sudden light. She lit the lamp and set the wick so as to keep the light at a comfortable low. Then she hesitated, not turning around just yet. She could see his clawed hand on the ground not far away. 

"Do you sstill want to ssee the monsster they turned me into?" 

She placed her hand on top of his. "Doctor Quest didn't want to lose you. We didn't want to lose you." _I didn't want to lose you_, she added to herself. "We had no other choice. But there is a good side to all this." 

"Yeah? Like what?" 

"Like... Resistance to disease, improved health, immortality..." 

"Immortality?" 

"That's something they forgot to tell you. So long as Solara, the Dragon who shared her blood with you, lives you live. Drayca is eight hundred eighty years old. You'll never age, outliving us all." 

Jonny had a violent start, pulling his hand away. If he was to live forever he didn't want to do it without his Father, without his friends, and certainly not without Jessie. "No. I don't want thiss. You sshould have let me die." and he quickly got to his feet to go to the door. 

"Jonny, wait." She jumped to her own feet, turning quickly to grab his arm. He stopped and she could feel his muscles tense. His back was to her, but she could tell the Change was great. He wasn't wearing the shirt Hadji had given him anymore. The expanse of skin exposed had been transformed into thick, smooth scales of a greenish gold color and he did have claws at his finger tips, sharp claws. Small rounded horns had sprouted from the back of his shoulders. His hair hadn't changed in the slightest. Hesitantly she gave his arm a gentle tug to get him to face her. He did so and instead of seeing eyes full of fear he saw eyes full of sympathy, full of remorse, full of guilt. Her hand touched his cheek as tears brimmed her eyes. Gone was his boyish face replaced with that of a lizard man, but the incredible blue eyes remained. These were Jonny's eyes that had now begun to tear, eyes that she easily found herself lost in many times, like now. "I'm so sorry." she breathed as she let him crush her to his chest. "I didn't want to lose you." she suddenly breathed and his arms cradled her close. She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks to his shoulder as he rocked her slowly, caressing her back in comfort. 

"I found it! Jessie! I found it!" came Benton's voice from down the hall. 

The duo pulled apart, a little faster than they had wanted, looked at each other in slight surprise, then went to stand at the door to watch as Jonny's Father came running up to them. "Doctor Quest?" 

"Jessie, there you are. I found..." Doctor Quest saw the tears on her face and suddenly looked past her to her lizard companion, realization dawning on his face. "Jonny?" Jonny shrugged with a shy smile. "Oh, God. Son, I 'm sorry..." 

"It'ss okay, Dad. Jesssie ecssplained it to me." and his clawed hand tenderly gripped her shoulder as not to scratch or hurt her. He would have to be careful for the next while. "What did you find?" 

"A cure. I don't know why they, or I, didn't think of this option before. The way they explained this condition, I should have suspected that this could work." 

Jessie felt as if she were floating from this news. "Tell us, quickly." she urged. 

"They didn't have the means to do this before, taking unaffected DNA and injecting it into an affected host to help the affected DNA begin replication and repair. The new DNA would have acted like an vengeful band-aid, removing the Dragon DNA and keeping it from reattaching itself to the host. A direct blood transfer is all it takes. My initial tests worked. Everyone here is affected so they never had a fresh, untainted source of DNA until now." 

"Until us." Jessie turned to Jonny with a happy, hopeful smile. "I told Drayca if anyone could find a cure it was your Dad." He smiled back at her. 

"We can start the treatment right away, Son. It won't be easy though. I believe it might be just as painful as the initial Change was." 

"Doess Drayca or any of the otherss know?" the Son asked his Father. 

"No, she was called away before I found this possible cure. I think she went off to question that prisoner. I know I have a few." and he motioned them down the tunnel he had just come from. 

Along the way they met up with Cur'ail who looked slightly anxious. "Ah, Doctor Quesst. I wass looking for you. We found ssomething ecsstra about your treatment." 

"We were on our way to find Drayca, but what have you found?" 

"Thiss way." he hissed, leading them down a tunnel that slanted down. "Your treatment, Doctor Quesst, will be sslow in progresss and undoubtedly very painful, ass you have ecssplained, but there iss more. We will losse our immortality. We will live a normal life'ss sspan afterwardss, then die." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"Don't be! We've all hoped for ssomething like thiss ever ssince we disscovered the Immortality Factor. You've given uss our mortality back. For that we thank you." They arrived at a deep chamber where they heard Drayca's voice demanding answers from the prisoner. "Do not be alarmed at what you ssee. When angered sshe can be violent." Cur'ail warned. 

They walked in to find her standing before the prisoner chained to the wall. His helmet had been removed to reveal his bruised and bloodied face. Jessie couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her throat as Jonny stiffened at her side. "Kyle Merrick." he growled dangerously as Jessie took his shoulder. 

"You know him?" Benton asked his Son. 

"All too well. He wass at the complecss in Brazsil." 

Kyle looked up at the new arrivals and gave a leery, evil grin. "Jessie Bannon, good to see you again, Red. How _has_ the little traitoress been?" 

"I'm not a traitor." 

"You allowed him and the other to escape." he replied as he motioned to Doctor Quest with his chin. "To me that makes you a traitoress." 

"He's Jonny's Father and the other's my Father." 

"Yes, the _great_ Jonny Quest. Where did _he_ disappear to?" and he looked around nonchalantly. 

"Right here, Kyle, or don't you recognizse the one you alwayss referred to ass the ssnake?" 

He looked at him and frowned. "You're not Mister Goodie-Two-Shoes." 

"Oh, yess, I am. Would an imposster know that on the firsst night you met Jesssie and I, you tried to rape her in the ssame room your own ssisster and I were in at the time?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw his Father's violent reaction to the revelation. 

For a moment Kyle's face was unreadable, but then an ear-to-ear sneer crossed his face. And he laughed. Jonny balled his fists, annoyed and angered. "Oh, this is just too perfect! Pretty boy is now Lizard boy! Hey, Red, what do you think of your _knight in shining armor_ now?" 

There was a flash of greenish gold as Jonny, in an impatient fit of rage, tried to lunge at Kyle's throat. Jessie was only one step ahead of him and managed to grab his arm. "Take it easy, Jonny!" and she pressed herself against his hard chest to restrain him. "He's just trying to find an easy way out of all this." 

"Oh, you're so right, Red." Kyle snickered. "But this isn't how I plan to escape. You really don't think I would've allowed myself to get captured if I didn't have several ways out, do you? My _friends_ will be arriving soon and then the real fun'll start." 

Doctor Quest quickly checked all of Kyle's pockets and found a small red disk no bigger than a dime. "It's a _tracker_. It allows anyone to follow a signal to its source, mainly to here." 

Drayca whirled around to face Corail. All it took was a simple look. The Third-in-Command raced off down the tunnel, shouting orders as she went. The Children of the Dragon's battle leader then faced the Quest men and Jessie. "When the first attack happened at the Palace my Riders saw a large grouping of armed men hiding in a nearby valley. We wondered at first why they did not attack. We know now." 

"But what good are spears and swords against guns?" 

"Guns get jammed in dust storms. Spears and swords don't. Cur'ail, tell Draco to set up small storms at the tunnels leading to the surface. He'll know how." 

Kyle's mad laughter cut through them like a knife as the elder scientist ran off. "You waste your time. Won't be long now, Red. If you let me go and beg me for mercy now, I just might be inclined to let you live, if you're nice enough." 

"Fat chance." Jessie muttered, holding Jonny around his torso to keep him from charging. 

"Come, quickly!" the warrior woman ordered, leading them at a jog down the tunnels back to the Lab. Seconds later Hadji, Neela, and Race were ushered in followed closely by Cur'ail and three of his descendants. "You nine will remain here. Solara and her promised mate will be just outside this door. Whatever you do, _stay** here**_!" Then she ran off to wait out the beginning of the battle. 

There was a sudden silence in the room, broken only by the sound of breathing and the distant sound of beating wings. "Might as well start your treatment while we're waiting, Son." Benton suddenly voiced as he retrieved a series of sterile syringes. 

"I don't know if I'll be able to sstay sseated when all the fighting breakss out. I can feel..." and he trailed off. 

"What can you feel, my friend?" the young Sultan asked gently. 

Jonny sat on a stool nearby, watching as his Father drew a blood sample from Jessie's offered arm. He had to smile inwardly at her willingness to help him. Somewhere in his mind a little voice told him that it was because she loved him, but it wasn't yet loud enough to be heard clearly. He pushed it away and turned to his adoptive Brother. "I'm not ssure, Hadj. It'ss almosst like... I don't know... a fighting urge. I _want_ to fight." 

Race gripped his shoulder, mentally cringing at the feel of scales under his hand. "Well, you heard the lady, kiddo. Whatever happens we stay here." 

Far down the tunnels reverberated the war cries of Dragons and the Children. Jonny stiffened, sitting straight on his seat. He understood the cry. _To the death!_ Even though he felt his Father's hand on his arm he continued to stare at the entrance. He continued this even after feeling the needle pierce his skin painfully and then retreat. Explosions joined the cries along with the sound of gunfire. The others listened now, watching the entrance for any sign of the attackers. _I have to do something,_ he thought. A low, guttural growl escaped his throat instead of words. He was aware of himself thinking rationally and yet there was something stronger that had taken over. An animal instinct. Before anyone could react he had bolted out of the chamber to the winding twists of the tunnels. He was focused only on the sounds of battle now, eager to fight, following the sounds to the source. He could barely hear the calls from his friends behind him. A woman's scream suddenly cut through his hazy senses... from behind. _Jessie!_ He skidded to a halt, whirling around to find a grouping of six armed men surrounding Jessie in the light of the lone torch in the tunnel. Kyle Merrick was one of them. He had her by the waist, her arms pinned to her sides, and a particularly vicious looking blade pointed at her throat. She held herself perfectly still, her eyes riveted on the blade. The others had their weapons pointed on the group that had tried to follow Jonny. 

"What did I tell you, Lizard Boy." Merrick gloated with a mad sneer. "I always get what I want, no matter what. And now, you can't stop me or she gets hurt." 

"Let her go!" he roared. Everyone in the tunnel flinched at the sound of his voice. This wasn't Jonny Quest anymore. This was a Dragon hybrid... and he was angry. 

Kyle recovered enough to press the blade closer to his hostage's throat. "Back off, or you know what happens to this pretty lady." A thin trickle of blood was forming where the blade had cut a shallow wound. Something in Jonny snapped. 

"Now you don't want to do anything you're gonna regret there." came Race's voice directed at Kyle. 

"Save your breath, Bannon." Merrick snapped, turning to face him. "Your attempt to appeal to my sense of morality is pitiful at best." 

Then the light went out. 

Jessie stood perfectly still in the dark, suddenly acutely aware of every sound around her. There was a rush of air on one side of her, then the sound of a violent scuffle ensued. Kyle let out a shout of pain as he let her go. Instinctively she dropped to her knees and covered her head with her arms. Then she heard the sound of running before a thick silence covered everything. Two sets of hands fumbled and found her as a light shattered the impenetrable dark. When her eyes adjusted she found it was her Father and Hadji who were helping her to her feet. The six gunmen were strewn across the tunnel floor, visibly dead, blood and scratch marks were everywhere. Neither Kyle or Jonny could be seen. Jessie's eyes surveyed the scene to finally become riveted on the bodies. 

"... Jonny didn't...?" 

"I'm afraid he did, Misss Jesssie." Cur'ail answered. His eyes were full of sorrow. "He hass become unsstable. The New Change iss not happening fasst enough." 

_God, no! Please, no!_ her mind screamed. "But... where is he?" 

"I believe he hass gone after thiss Kyle Merrick. And hiss intent iss all too clear. He will kill him, or die trying." 

She looked down the tunnel where she had heard the sound of running. "No!" she wailed and took off at a run down the tunnel. Jessie ran blindly, unsure of where she was going, but she had to find Jonny. She could hear her family and friends calling after her, but she ignored them all. Turning a corner she came upon the part battle that had made it into the tunnels. Jena's bright gold hair flashed into sight as she one-handedly dragged a wounded fighter away. She had her spear in the other hand. "Jena, did Jonny come through here after someone?" Jessie called over the battle. 

The Second-in-Command looked up, slightly startled. "Miss Jessie! Yes, he was chasing someone!" 

"Where'd he go?" 

Using the spear she pointed up a tunnel from which strong blasts of cold air came from. Jessie grabbed the spear from her hand as she headed up this tunnel. "No, Miss Jessie, it leads outside!" she barely heard Jena cry after her. Jess continued to run, her chest pounding, oblivious to the drop of temperature. The ground became covered with slippery ice making running more and more difficult in her high heels. Cold air blasted at her almost as if to keep her from advancing, but she pushed on. Turning a corner she could see a gold mass huddled ahead of her. Approaching it she recognized who it was. 

"Jonny!" and she quickly stumbled to his side. Once there she noticed his scales had begun to fade showing blue skin beneath. _Blue?_ She turned him over, holding him close in her arms, and felt him shiver. His teeth chattered. That was when it sunk in. He was still part lizard and, therefore, partly cold blooded. The cold was killing him, slowly, agonizingly. Using the spear she cut off her long skirt at mid-thigh level and then draped it over him to help him keep his body heat while adding her own to his. Gently she rocked his near frozen body. "C'mon, stay with me, Jonny. Wake up." Her breath crystallized in the cold corridors. 

"... P- pain... Ss- sso... much... p- pain..." he stuttered over chattering teeth, his body suddenly doubling over in a fetal position. A thin mist escaped his frozen lips. 

She adjusted her hold on him, smoothing his hair away from his face and tucking the make-shift blanket around him. "I know. It's the New Change, but everything'll be okay now. You'll be fine." She held him close, hoping she herself could stay warm enough until help arrived. Her bare legs already felt painfully numb from the cold. She looked back down the way she came with a slight frown. Hadn't Jena been right behind her? 

His trembling hands gripped her arms to keep her close. "... ss- sso... c- cold... t- tired..." 

Then Jessie realized just why Jena hadn't followed her to the surface. She was a Child of the Dragon. She was part reptile and therefore knew the cold that reigned here could kill her in a matter of minutes. Looking at his face she could see the pained drowsiness begin to settle in his features. It frightened her. "C'mon, Hot Shot, stay awake." He looked up at her and she realized why. She hadn't used the name _Hot Shot_ for him since she was fourteen, two years ago. It brought back memories, good and bad. "Talk to me. Tell me..." She mentally struggled to find something, anything, to talk about. Her mind grasped at one topic and held on. "Tell me how you keep all those girls at school from asking you out." 

A faint smile curled back the corners of his lips as he adjusted his hold on her. "... why... do you... w- want... t- to know... th- that... Ace...?" 

She smiled, partly at the name, partly understanding the thought behind the question, and she toyed with the locket at his throat. "I don't know. Maybe I can apply your tactic to my problems at school." 

"... An- And... you... h- have... many..." he chuckled. His cold muddled mind struggled to remember just what he had told the last flock of girls at Rockport High School shortly before leaving for Brazil with Jessie. "... I t- told... them... I w- wass... al- already... ss- sseeing... ss- ssomeone..." 

Jessica Bannon's interest was peaked. He was already seeing someone? "Did you give them a name?" she asked softly. 

His eyelids were beginning to close from cold and pain induced fatigue, but his eyes remained locked with hers nonetheless. "... Yess..." he replied softly. 

A loud rumbling sound, much like that of a charging elephant, began to echo from down the tunnel before anything else could be said. Looking up Jessie could see the large lumbering form of Solara racing up towards them, worry in her large eyes. The female Dragon hesitated for just a moment when she saw the huddled duo, then quickly scooped them up in her great paw. Running on three-legs Solara charged back down the tunnels, passing the duo's family and friends, and kept heading down deeper and deeper into the tunnels. The temperature steadily rose to the point of sweltering as she ran. She entered a large, deep chamber where a huge lake of fiercely bubbling water churned and boiled from an unseen heat source. Billows of steam rose up with each froth. Jessie stared at this lake with apprehension before Solara suddenly picked her up and, unceremoniously, tossed her aside. She landed hard, very hard, on the smooth, almost glass like, ground. She recovered quickly to watch in dazed horror as Solara dove into the bubbling maelstrom with Jonny still cradled in her paw. Jessie stumbled to her feet, rushing to the water's edge, but was forced back in agony. The water was so scalding that she stumbled in shock near a wall. Through the steam she could see Solara's head just above the water's surface gently nuzzling Jonny's limp, unconscious form which was half submerged. As she watched she was mildly aware of her Father and friends arriving in the chamber. She scrambled to her feet when she saw Drayca, Draco and Cur'ail enter. 

"She... She took him in there!" 

Drayca took her shoulders quickly. "It's alright. We'll take care of this." Jessie watched, confused, as Cur'ail and Drayca stood knee deep in the frothing, scalding waters, unaffected by the intense temperature. When her friends tried to follow, Jessie stopped them explaining that she herself had felt the burning temperature of the water. It seemed only Dragons and the Children of the Dragon could enter this water. "Solara!" she called. The great ochre Dragon turned to her, holding Jonny's body close as he began to wake slowly. "Please, Solara, give him over to us!" and she held out her arms in waiting. 

A look of horrified shock came over Solara's features. "No! He's mine! My blood flows in his veins, I feel his pain! He's mine! I won't give him up!" 

"SOLARA!" Drayca's voice was suddenly commanding, silencing the Dragon, cutting through the souls of everyone gathered. One look at her face and one could see the seriousness of the situation. Then her face softened. "Solara! What about Na'toth, your promised mate? Is this fair to him?" Cur'ail followed her lead as she moved deeper into the water. "This boy is not yours! A New Change is turning him back to how he was before! His family and his friends miss him! His Father wants his only Son back! Please, give him back!" Solara looked at Benton Quest at the water's edge, at his silently pleading eyes, then back to the waking boy in her paws. She had felt the link diminish, but she had tried to deny it. Now, it was impossible to. Many of his lizard traits were beginning to disappear. 

As Solara watched, Jonny came back to enough of his senses to cringe slightly at the sight of her face so close to him. He could feel the boiling waters lapping against his sides, but was surprised that it didn't burn him. "What... What's going on?" The raspiness and hissing in his voice were gone. 

"A choice I have to make, Little Man: Do I keep you or do I give you back to your Father?" 

With a start he backed away even more before turning to those on the shore. The female Dragon nodded at him with a sad smile when he turned back to her and he let himself drop into the churning waters. Cur'ail and Drayca swam out to him and helped him back to the shore. Benton was immediately there to wrap his Son tightly in his arms. Jonny gratefully returned the Fatherly embrace, letting him hold him up. The constant pain from the New Change left him weak and unstable on his own feet. Doctor Quest could feel this in his Son and supported him until Race, Hadji, Neela, and Jessie approached him to welcome his Son back to them and to sanity. 

Hadji and his Mother were the first to hold him. "You gave us all quite a fright, my Brother." the young Sultan stated as Neela continued to hold Jonny. 

"Believe me, Hadj, no one was more scared than me." 

Then Race approached him, a serious look on his face. "Don't you ever do something like that again." 

Jonny looked at him sheepishly. "Yes, Sir." After a tense moment Race smiled, head locked him, and mussed up his hair affectionately before releasing him. Jonny then turned to the last, if not dearest, of his friends. She smiled at him, almost shyly, a slight frown creasing her brow. He returned the smile, spreading his hands in a shrug. "Ace...?" 

"If ever you pull a stupid stunt like that again, Hot Shot, I will personally kill you." But there was no anger in her voice and her smile remained. 

He knew she was more worried than angered. A burst of relieved laughter escaped them both. "Deal." he struggled over the laughter and he opened his arms to her. She accepted the silent offer and threw herself into his embrace, each holding the other as close as physically possible, losing themselves in their own little world. Awareness became muted to the point were they were only really aware of each other. Though neither would ever admit it, they enjoyed this form of physical contact. They could vaguely hear the adults speaking of the battle. It was almost over, the Children of the Dragon were winning, but there was no sign of Kyle Merrick. 

He had gotten away. 

* * * 

Estella Velasquez had received the call at around four in the morning. It was her ex-husband, Race Bannon, asking her if she could drop everything and come to Bangalore. Actually, he didn't really ask. It was more of an order. He was like that. Immediately her mind began to imagine all sort of worst case scenarios of what might have happened to have prompted this call. An accident... a shooting... an attack... Anything could have happened to them which meant anything could have happened to Jessica Bannon, her daughter. 

She hadn't heard anything from him in two days, not since he had reported back that he had found both Jessie and Jonny, alive and well. Estella was in the deep jungles of Peru on the site of a new, important dig. As head archeologist on the site she couldn't easily _drop_ what she was doing and leave for India. On the other hand she couldn't very well stay here when her daughter could be in the hospital... or worse. 

That was the deciding factor. 

Leaving her assistant in charge of the dig she was on her way to town and on the first plane bound for India. By that time her mind had conjured enough _worst scenario_ images that she had begun to anxiously bite her nails. Her flight had a brief stop over in Cairo before continuing on. Within a few hours she reached the Royal Palace in Bangalore. What she found most strange was that it was the Palace guards who met her at the entrance and led her through the maze of corridors to the court yard. That was when she saw Race. 

He was leaning up against a wall, staring at the ground, seemingly talking to himself. She thought he looked just a little more haggard and battle worn than he usually did, which brought her level of worry up a few notches. He suddenly looked up, saw her, and pushed off the wall. Estella all but ran up to him. She gripped his arms as he took her shoulders comfortingly. 

"Race, what's going on? Where's Jessie?" 

"Calm down, Estella. Ponchita's just fine, she just misses her Mom at her Birthday Party, that's all. That and I thought maybe you'd like to see the greatest _living_ archeological discovery since..." and he trailed off suddenly. 

"Since... what?" 

"Shoot, Sweetheart, I'm no scientist. That's your department." 

"Alright, then. So what's this great discovery?" 

"You'll see. C'mon, our transport's waiting." 

"Transport?" 

They turned the corner to find a masked, golden haired, leather clad warrior woman waiting for them standing in front of... Estella looked up, way up, and froze in her tracks at the sight as Race continued forward, unfazed. A gigantic lizard, covered in blue silver scales and with bright yellow eyes, stood on all fours with its massive leathery wings folded against its sides. The great beast looked at Estella quizzically before turning to its human companion. 

"Jena, do I suddenly have snakes sprouting from my head?" it asked in a soft masculine, British sounding voice. 

The warrior woman had a confused start as she regarded her companion. "No. Why do you ask, Brayne?" 

"Well, I suddenly feel like a Medusa. As soon as the woman saw me, she froze." 

Jena chuckled. "She's never seen a Dragon before, my friend. If you remember I, too, froze when I first saw you." 

Brayne had a heavy sigh, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "That was so many centuries ago... But, before any more time passes, all aboard." and he lowered himself to the ground. 

Race had to physically push Estella towards the huge beast in order to get her to climb on. She sat side-saddle, unsure of herself on the warm lizard, as her ex-husband sat behind her and Jena climbed on to sit at the base of Brayne's neck, where it met his shoulders. Wordlessly Brayne spread his wings wide and took to the air. This brought Estella out of her silent shell. 

"Oh, my God! And he flies! This is scientifically incredible!" 

"Thought you'd like it." 

"How did you find them?" she asked over the sound of rushing air. 

"Actually, they found us. The day we arrived here all Hell broke loose and Hadji called them in to help fix things. Jonny got hurt bad and they--" 

"Jonny's hurt!? Oh, Jessie--" 

"He's fine, they fixed him up. Try not to stare at him too much when we get there though. Anyway, they took us with them back to their caves to help the kid and here we are. The Doc helped them find a cure for a little problem they had that Jonny ended up sharing." 

"Problem? What problem?" 

"Jena." 

The warrior woman turned to them and, understanding what he was asking, removed her silver mask. Thick blue-ish scales covered parts of her face. "We call it the Change. In men it's more complete and they look nothing of what they did before. The Quest boy is recovering well from the New Change. Soon, it'll be our turn." 

"Jonny...?" she couldn't continue. 

"_Was_ a walking, talking lizard man. He's changing back now, thanks to Benton's persistence." 

"I can imagine. He found a cure?" 

"We hope." 

As they neared a tall mountain Estella could make out the form of another Dragon flying between the clouds. With a sharp turn the shape began speeding towards them. A blur of golden ochre sped by them, followed closely by a strong gust of wind. Estella ducked her head, holding on tight to Race so as not to fall off. Then the other Dragon came to fly parallel to Brayne. 

"You kids be careful!" she heard Race shout. 

"Sorry, Dad!" came a familiar voice. She looked up and saw Jessie, wearing a green-ish silver, tight dress that had a daring plunging neck-line, and with a matching pair of ankle-wrap high heels, riding on the back of the ochre Dragon. Her red hair flew out behind her like fire. Her arms were wrapped around a lizard-like boy Estella couldn't recognize, but who Jessie seemed completely at ease with. "Hi, Mom!" Jessie called with a wave of her arm. 

The boy, too, smiled and waved. "Hi, Estella!" he called. 

She knew that voice! "Jonny?" 

"In the... well... I was going to say flesh, but I guess scales will have to do until all this is over!" he replied as Jessie laughed. He was wearing slightly torn blue silk pants and soft leather lace-up boots. He had no shirt. His blond hair was ruffled in the intense wind. He didn't seem to mind that Jessie was sitting so close to him or that her arms were wrapped around his waist. 

"Are you two alright?" 

"Sure, Mom!" 

"Never better!" Jonny added. 

"Are you sure?" 

""Yes!"" they said in unison. 

As the mountain loomed closer Brayne suddenly dove down towards the entrance of the caves. Estella cringed at the sudden drop. "Let's go, Solara!" she heard Jonny shout. They came in for a smooth landing within moments on the outer ledge. The two Dragons lumbered inward with their passengers until they reached an inner chamber where the ambient temperature was more comfortable. There the great beasts began to lower themselves to the ground to allow their passengers to disembark. Jonny jumped down before Solara could completely lower herself and caught Jessie in his arms as she climbed down, keeping her from touching the ground. 

"Put me down, you twerp." she struggled. 

"No way, Pretty Lady. This is the first time where I might actually be stronger than you and I'm going to take advantage of every second of it." 

"You may be stronger, but are you more agile?" 

"What-- Hey!!" 

She rolled out of his arms, dropping to a crouch, knocked his legs out from under him, then pinned him on his back, his arms held down at either side of his head. "You were saying, Hot Shot?" she beamed down playfully. 

He laughed. "And you're on _my_ side." Solara suddenly got to her feet and charged at the duo, anger and protectiveness in her eyes. Both of them sprang to their feet, first in surprise, then Jessie out of fear and Jonny in her defense. He stood before her with his arms held up to stop Solara's intended attack. "Solara, no! Stop! It's a game! We were just playing!" Solara hesitated, looking at Jonny with a low growl directed at Jessie. "We do this sort of thing all the time! It's okay!" She backed off reluctantly. Keeping his eyes on the ochre Dragon, he took Jessie's shoulders and led her away to where he Mother stood waiting. She threw herself into her Mother's embrace, grateful to have her around. 

Race looked to the Dragon, then at Jonny. "You know, she's gotten overly protective of you all of a sudden." 

He shrugged. "From what I can tell that's a natural thing for a first time Bonding like this. Comes with the territory." 

"Natural!?" Estella was in total shock as she held her Daughter tightly to her chest. "That... That _thing_ tried to kill Jessie. Just what the Hell is going on here?" 

Jonny hesitated, not wanting to reveal what he knew, but suddenly sighed heavily in surrender. "Solara's jealous." he finally stated. 

Jessie stiffened at this and pulled away from her Mother. "Jealous?! What, of me?" He just looked away sheepishly and she balled her fists on her hips, a frown creasing her forehead. "Alright, what have you been telling her?" 

"Nothing, I swear! Well, not directly, not verbally, in any case." 

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" 

"Look, I don't exactly know what happened. All I know is that I could tell exactly what she was thinking, for a time, so I guess she could do the same with me. Whatever she saw she somehow twisted into this jealousy thing." She looked at him, deep into the crystal blue depths of his eyes, clearly not believing him. "I swear, it's the truth." 

"Guess I have no choice but to believe you, seeing as I won't be able to get an answer out of you or Solara." 

"Now that it's settled, sort of, Jessie, I have a question for you." her Mother spoke up. 

Jessie was puzzled when she looked at her Mother. "What's wrong?" 

"That dress, that's what's wrong." 

Both Jessie and Jonny looked at the dress. The shortness she had been forced to cut it showed off a good deal of her long, shapely legs. And he couldn't quite think of anything to say about the plunging neck-line. There was just so much visible skin... He grinned lopsidedly. "I don't know, I kind or like it." 

Jessie slapped his arm, unable to stop the grin. "Don't start, dork." She looked herself over again and peered sheepishly at her Mother. "It... It didn't start out this way, honest. There was a longer skirt, I just had to it cut to keep Jonny alive. There was also a sash..." She looked again at the dress, more critically this time. "God, I really did a number on this thing, didn't I?" 

"A nice number." 

"And your number'll be up if you don't quit it, Quest." 

"Just try it, Bannon." He placed his hands on her waist from behind her, squeezing slightly, causing her to jump with a startled shriek and backing into him. 

Estella sighed heavily and turned to her ex-husband. "When are we all going home?" 

"Not long. Benton's just finishing up explaining the cure to the rest of them. In a couple of days, when Jonny's himself again and not over the edge, we'll head back for Main on the _Questor_." 

"I can't wait to get home." Jonny piped up as he kept Jessie wrapped in his arms. "Bandit's probably going nuts by now and I actually miss Mrs. Evans nagging." He suddenly started to laugh at a thought. "I even miss school!" 

"Over the edge?" Estella demanded. 

Race frowned a sigh. "Why is it you only pick up on the negatives?" 

"I'm a Mother, it's my job. What happened?" 

Jessie shrugged. "He went over the deep-end." she stated matter-of-factly. 

Jonny frowned. "Thank you so very much." 

"Would you rather I called you clinically insane?" He looked away in surrender, pulling away from her. Before he could move too far she took his arm. "Oh, don't act like that, you Big Baby." and she pulled him close again before turning to her Mother. "The Change causes a mental instability in certain people." 

"It happened with me." he continued. "I could hear sounds from so far away as if they were right next to me. I could hear and understand the Dragon's regular speech. Imagine being able to suddenly hear every sound being made no matter where you are and you can't shut it off, no matter how hard you try." 

"Didn't know it was that bad, kid." Race muttered. 

"Don't talk about it much. Reminds me too much of those six guys..." and he trailed off, a memory coming back to him. He suddenly shuddered violently, tears coming to his eyes. "Oh, God! Race, _I_ killed those men!" Before either Estella or Race could do anything, Jessie threw her arms around her friend to comfort him, his face pressed into the crook of her neck. 

"Everything'll be okay, Jonny. It's okay." she breathed soothingly, threading her fingers through his hair. He just held her as tightly as he dared. 

Estella looked at them both with a surprised look etched in her face. "How long have they been doing this sort of thing?" 

Race merely shook his head with a chuckle. "Long story. I'll explain later." 

* * * 

Jonny Quest stood at the bow of the _Questor_ at looked out at the rising full moon. The last remnants of the Dragon's Blood had disappeared and he was _normal_ again. He could see the arm of Milky Way above him, arcing across the sky with its many Constellations scattered throughout. Categorically, he picked them out one by one: Pisces, Jessie's zodiac sign, Libra, his Mother's sign, Aires, his Father's sign, and Virgo, his sign. He smiled at the last one he found, Draco, the Dragon. _Ironic_, he thought. He crossed his arms in an attempt to keep more warmth in his thick sweater. He could hear the large sails flapping in the wind and the waves crashing against the ship's hull. Then he heard a new sound. Footsteps were approaching him from along the walkway. The flash of red in the wind caught the corner of his eye. 

"Hey, Jess." he greeted, not taking his eyes from the sky. 

Her hand came to rest between his shoulder blades. "Hey. What're you doing out here all by your lonesome?" 

He sighed and looked at her. She was wearing a wind breaker over a white shirt, and blue jeans. "I was doing some stargazing... and some thinking. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately." 

"Want to talk about it?" 

He looked at the ocean, his eyes glassy. "Not really." 

"Jonny." she called, her voice ever so soft. She touched his shoulder, getting him to turn to face her. "I know what you're thinking, and you mustn't blame yourself. You did it to save my life, and for that I'll never be able to thank you enough." 

A tear fell from his eye. "But I _killed_ to do that." 

Ever so gently she wiped the tear away. "I had to do the same thing once, remember? It never gets easy, that's why the good guys use it as a last resort and only then. We're the good guys and that's why you're taking it as hard as you are. It never gets easier." 

"How do you make the images go away?" His voice shook. 

"You can't. Dad once told me that he still has nightmares of his old service years. I still dream of those I killed. Nameless faces, all of them." She suddenly laughed, looking up at him. "Hey! Who needs the comforting here, you or me?" 

He had to laugh with her. "I don't know, the lines got kind of blurry all of a sudden." He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her ever so close to himself. "Thank you." he breathed into her hair, catching a hint of her sweet scent. Was it perfume, was it her, he could never quite tell. 

She let him hold her, enjoying the strength and safety his arms conveyed to her. "Thank you for what?" 

He pulled back to look into her face. "For being here, for being a friend." 

She smirked. "You sound like a greeting card." 

Soft laughter forced itself from his throat. "What else can I say? Apart from Hadji, you're my best friend." 

"Is that all I am?" she smiled playfully, her voice coy. 

He smiled, the first real smile since they had left Bangalore two days ago. "Well, maybe more than just best friends." She gave him a sweet smile and bit her lower lip as if she were coming to a decision or working up her courage for something. His expression became puzzled. "What?" 

"Just this." She placed a quick, gentle kiss on his lips before suddenly taking off like a bullet for her quarters. 

Jonny stood there, stunned for a moment, with a quizzical frown on his face. _Did she just kiss me or am I still delusional?_ He touched his own lips then looked at his fingers. In the moonlight he could see traces of her lipstick. He smiled happily and leaned back on the guard rail, still looking at his lipstick stained fingers. _Oh, yes!_ he thought, looking to the vast expanse of ocean ahead. _Things are finally looking good._ He looked up to the Libra Constellation, his Mother's Zodiac sign, with a smile. _Virgo. Best love match_:_ Pisces. Thanks, Mom._

* * * 

The quests and Bannons arrived back in Maine too late for Jessie and Jonny to return to high school, but early enough in the summer to make up for all their lost time and work. They would move up a grade just like their friends and classmates. It helped that Doctor Benton Quest was on the School Board. It took the kids roughly a week to finish all their _catch up_ work. Bandit, the family's Miniature Pit bull, had been ecstatic to see them return and had greeted his owner by leaping into Jonny's arms and licked his face. He did the same to every family member, Estella included. Mrs. Evans was just happy to find them all safe and back home. Their first meal was a feast, with so many leftovers to last them to the end of the month. She continued to fuss over the two teenagers well-being until both Jessie and Jonny retreated to the safety of their own rooms, with Bandit in tow. 

Summer went by quickly during which the two teenagers were most content just lounging around by the pool-side or in front of the TV watching a movie. This particular day the sun shone brightly making the air warm and nearly unbearable were it not for a light breeze coming from the nearby cliffs over-looking the Atlantic. In the shade of two large trees was a wide, mesh hammock. It rocked gently in the breeze. An open book lying face down on her stomach, Jessie dozed peacefully on the hammock. She wore a pair of short denim shorts and a tight, pink tank-top in an effort to beat the heat. Her sandals were on the ground under the hammock. Something suddenly began to tickle her face, a light feathery object. She swatted at it, but it persisted and she though she heard a stifled snicker. Jessie opened her eyes and saw Jonny holding a blade of grass to her face. He was wearing a pair of dark blue Bermudas with a white T-shirt, sandals, and what she considered to be a ridiculous straw cowboy hat. "Hey, stop that!" 

He gave her his trademark grin. "Couldn't resist. You made such a tempting target." 

"You're too kind." she stated sarcastically. 

"Very cozy setup you have here." 

"Mmm, it serves its purpose." 

"Got extra room there?" 

"Sure, climb aboard." He did so, his head at her feet. Then, after a moment of calming silence and rocking, "So, what have you been doing all morning?" 

"Nothing much." He put his hands behind his head, tipping the hat over his eyes. "Took a bike ride into town, called on a few of the guys and hung out at the mall and arcade for a while, then came home." 

"Ooo, sounds very productive." 

He raised the hat, arcing a skeptic eyebrow at her with a grin. "What about you? I'll just bet you've been lying here all morning reading that book." 

"Guilty as charged." she laughed. 

"What _are_ you reading?" She held up the book and he grimaced in disgust at the title. "Ugh! Advanced Physics!? Should've known you couldn't keep your nose out one of those books for very long. Book worm." 

She slapped the sole of her foot to his chest and he grabbed her ankle in surprise. "You take that back, bleach head." she warned, a slight grin working the corners of her lips. 

"Ooo, thems fightin' words." he smiled and he tugged at her ankle. 

She suddenly sat up slightly, understanding his intent. "Don't you dare!" 

"No?" His tone was innocent, but his smile was full of mischief. 

"No!" she ordered, her smile becoming apparent. 

"No?" he repeated, lightly tracing his finger on her sole. Jessie tried to pull her foot away, but he held on. She struggled wildly, both from his grip and from uncontrolled laughter, as he tickled the sole of her foot. Suddenly the hammock tipped, dumping them both onto the ground. They laughed hysterically at the whole situation. "Not... Not exactly what I had in mind!" he struggled to say. 

"Twerp!" she laughed, lunging at him with a handful of grass. 

"Nerd!" he countered, falling to his back to absorb her lunge. 

"Nitwit!" and she dropped the grass on his face. 

"Brainiac!" he replied, spitting out grass from his mouth. 

"Thank you, but that won't get me to let you up." 

He smirked coyly. "I'm comfortable here." 

"Moron!" she laughed and whipped another handful of grass at his face. 

"You have a thing with throwing grass at me, don't you." he stated as he sat up, picking the green blades of grass out of his hair. 

"Green and blond go so well together." 

Unseen, his hand gripped a fistful of grass. "I can think of another color that goes real well with green." 

"Yeah? What?" 

"Red!" and he whipped his handful at her. She shrieked in surprise and did her best to fend off the shower of grass. Soon she began to pummel him with grass. Then, after several minutes, "Okay, okay, stop, Ace!" he stated breathlessly between laughter, grabbing her wrists. "Dad'll get mad at us if we ruin the lawn." 

"Right." she giggled and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Back up?" she hooked her thumb to the large hammock. 

"Back up." he confirmed, wiping away his laughter induced tears from his eyes. 

They climbed back in, in the same position they had been in before falling out, and just lay there as the wind rocked them gently. The day's heat wrapped itself around them once more. Jonny sighed heavily, closing his eyes as his hand played gentle, lazy patterns against Jessie's thigh. She looked at him and smiled when she saw the peaceful and contented smile on his face. She copied his hand's movements on his leg. 

"If you were a cat you'd be purring right now." she commented softly. 

"Purr- rr- rr." and she laughed. Another long silence followed. "Every once and a while I really miss days like this." he suddenly voiced. 

"Wait a minute. The Great Adventurer longs for quiet days?" 

"Sure, and why not. Look at what we go through every day. A little R and R like this never hurts. Especially this quiet summer, after the Complex and India incidents." 

"Point taken." 

"Can't believe we start school again on Monday." 

"Four days. Can you believe I actually don't look forward to going back?" 

"You? That _is_ bad. Why don't you want to go back?" 

She sigh silently. "I don't know." She shifted position carefully, to not tip the hammock, and pressed her cheek to his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso. She could hear his still racing heartbeat and was slightly surprised to see he was still wearing her gift around his neck, just like she was still wearing his. He was surprised at her sudden actions, but recovered enough to enfold her in his own arms. It was oddly comforting to hold her this way. "You know, now that I think back on things that happened, you never did answer my question back in the tunnel." 

He frowned, a fog invading his mind of that particular time. "Remind me." 

"I asked you, to keep you awake, how you kept the girls at school from asking you out. You said it was because you told them you were already seeing someone. I asked if you gave them a name and you said yes, but you never gave me the name." 

He squeezed her body close. "Ah, is that jealousy I hear, dear Lady Caroline?" he quipped, his tone taking on a formal edge. 

_Oh, he is so predictable_. "Curiosity, nothing more, Mr. Leger." she corrected quickly, catching on the fact that he had called her Lady Caroline, and copied his formal tone. 

"_Sure_ it is." he grinned. 

She sat up to frown down on him. "You going to tell me or not?" 

"Maybe, if you're nice to me." he smiled placidly. 

Jessie sighed heavily in exasperation. "What's it going to take for you to tell me that name?" 

"Oh, I don't know. I think, maybe, something along the lines of that night on the boat or something from _the island_." 

"What?" Then, "You are so horrible!" and she quickly got to her feet, giving the hammock a sharp tug, causing him to fall out. 

He quickly leapt to his feet. "Start running, Bannon." he warned. She took off like a shot, forgetting her book and sandals. Jonny was right on her heels, leaving his hat behind. 

Doctor Benton Quest stood at the window, watching his Son chase his friend's Daughter around the Quest Compound's large front yard. A smile crept to his face as he saw them take hairpin turns around trees and sharp direction changes. Things had definitely changed between the teenagers, something good, and something Race probably wouldn't like if ever he found out just how far the relationship had gone. Benton had seen the two in the hammock and seen how comfortable they were together. They were drawn together by instinct. 

Two lives. 

Jonny trapped Jessie by the pool. 

Two minds. 

He lunged at her, she side-stepped, his arms flayed in an attempt to keep his balance on the pool's edge. 

Two hearts. 

As he fell in he managed to grab Jessie's arm, pulling her in with him. They surfaced, laughing, and wrapped each other in each other's arms, holding close. 

One soul. 

* * * 

The first four months of school went by quickly, quiet and uneventful. Assignments were given out and taken in, with mixed results, and Remembrance Day came and went. Middle November was greeted with the fall of wet snow, as if Nature hadn't yet decided what kind of weather it should create. 

Driving the black Viper GTX carefully on the slush covered roads, Jessie squinted to see through the falling wet snow. As if to aggravate her it clung fiercely to the windshield until the wipers whisked it away. In the passenger seat next to her sat Jonny, nose pressed into his Philosophy textbook. 

"Meteorological abnormality." she grumbled, followed by a few colorful curses. 

"You wanted to drive." he replied with a smirk, not taking his eyes from the book. "I offered--" 

"Knowing full well you still have studying to do. We both know you can't study and drive at the same time. Remember what happened the last time you tried it." 

He chuckled softly as he remembered the car crash. No one had been hurt, thankfully, but the car had been totaled. He was still paying off the repairs. Then, he sighed. "Can't believe the finals are here already." he muttered, finally tearing his eyes away from the pages. 

"At least this time you're prepared. If I remember right, last year your filing system left much to be desired." 

"Didn't stop me from getting a 3.84 average. That osmosis thing was painful," and Jessie laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, "... but it worked. I--" and he stopped suddenly with what sounded like a groan. 

Jessie risked a quick glance at him and saw he was grimacing in pain, clutching at his sides. His skin was extremely pale and glistened with slight perspiration. Before she could comment he breathed out heavily in relief and his tight features slackened. "You okay?" she asked, suddenly concerned. 

He leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, it just suddenly felt like I was burning up." 

The stoplight ahead of them turned red and she stopped the car, turning to her friend. "You sure you're going to be alright?" and she touched his cool cheek with the back of her fingers. 

Jonny took her hand and tenderly pressed the back of it to his lips. She smiled inwardly. Over the past few months they had become closer, to the point where physical contact was enjoyed and completely normal between them. "I'll be fine, Jess." and he forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's probably just stress. Worry more about your finals." 

"I can worry about several things at once." 

"Well, just make sure all your worries are about your exams or I might end up having a higher GPA. than you." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm fine." 

She gave him a last lingering look as the light turned green, then turned her attention back to the road ahead. After a few more lights they arrived in the parking lot of Rockport High School. She parked the car and turned to Jonny one more time. "You're absolutely sure you'll be okay?" 

"God, Jess, you're worse than Dad and Mrs. Evans combined! I'll be fine." 

"I'm that bad, am I?" She chuckled. "Alright then. What's your first class?" 

"English Lit. Ms. Kenneli gave us a ten page essay to write on _Why Sidney Carton gave his life for another?_" 

"Ah, _Tale of two Cities_. Did you finish it?" 

"Barely." and they got out of the car, walking into the school. "That was the most boring book we've ever had to read. Found out, though, that next term we're doing _Romeo and Juliet _again." 

She smirked, remembering the beatings she had given him during the play's practices a year ago. "Thought you had enough of it from last time." 

"Of that masterpiece, never. The bruises, now there's another story." 

And they both laughed, arriving at her locker. "I'll see you in Second Period." 

He bowed deeply with a flourish, beginning to walk backwards away from her when he straightened. "Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow." to which she laughed as he disappeared into the crowd of students. 

She rid herself of her coat, packed her needed books into her shoulder bag, and headed off for her first class, Chemistry. The day's experiment was of almost no interest to Jessie, determining the radioactivity of an element without a Periodic Table. An easy task for her, this was something she could do in her sleep. Having finished halfway through the class she decided to read ahead in her textbook. _No use wasting time. _Class ended and she headed off for her next class, History. She walked in to find Jonny already sitting at his desk, his head down on his arms. Depositing her bag at the desk next to his she turned to kneel at his side, gently stroking his head. "You okay, Hot Shot?" 

"I will if the room stops spinning." he mumbled through his arms. He lifted his head slightly with a heavy sigh. 

_Whoa! He looks really out of it._ She thought his eyes looked mat, his usual sparkle had vanished. He looked flushed, but she could feel no fever when she placed a hand on his brow then on his nape. 

He closed his eyes in slight relief from the feel of her cool hands against his face. "I feel like someone turned up the heater to a thousand degrees and the whole world is spinning without me. I keep getting an occasional flash of... something. It feels like a memory, but I know it isn't. What's happening to me, Jess?" he breathed tiredly, leaning back in his chair. 

She pulled a chair closer to his side, keeping a hand on his arm and the other on his shoulder, occasionally lacing her fingers through his hair. "Wish I knew. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Want to go home?" Her voice had suddenly become soft, concerned. 

"Can't. There's no make-up exam for Philosophy. If I miss it I fail." 

"Is it your only exam today?" 

"Yeah." 

"Tell you what. As soon as you finish writing it come find me in Physics class and we'll go home, okay? I can easily miss out on the rest of my classes. You know where my class is?" 

He nodded slowly to both questions. "Thanks, Ace." 

"Not a problem." she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck from his side, placing a soft kiss on his temple. He leaned against her in response. "I always worry about my _boyfriends_." she smiled. 

He caught on the last word and turned his eyes to her. She had referred to him as her _boyfriend_. She continued to smile, her eyes meeting his. Jonny returned the smile and let her pull him close to press her brow to his. Just then a friend of theirs, and fellow classmate, entered the room, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight. She wore a silver cat suit with high heeled green boots and a matching green jacket. Her dirty blond hair was teased into a large hair cloud around her, tied back with a green scarf. Her brown eyes regarded the duo for a moment before giving them a sly smile. 

"Am I to suppose this means you two are more than just friends now?" Crysta Robertson grinned like a Cheshire cat. 

"He's not feeling well, Crysta." Jess replied, pulling away slightly. 

Her expression immediately softened at the news. Outrageous as she might be, Crysta was a good friend to both of them. Unbeknownst to them she had _adopted_ them into her pseudo-family away from home. "Oh, hey, Blondie, sorry to hear that. But you know you can't miss the Philosophy final." 

"I know, Crys. We're leaving when I finish it." He reluctantly allowed Jessie to move away from him to her desk, losing the comforting feel of her warmth with it, as Crysta sat at his other side. "Hope I can keep it together long enough to write it, though." 

"I'll keep you awake, Boy Wonder." She turned to Jessie. "Don't worry, Chica, if I have to I'll carry him to class and back." This comment got Jonny to smile weakly. The rest of the students filed in and History began at the bell. The class went by quickly, throughout which Jessie would throw worried glances at Jonny to make sure he was alright. She had to admit, his attempts to hide the fact he wasn't feeling well were valiant to say the least. No one even knew of his condition. Class ended and Crysta slung his arm around her shoulders as she supported most of his weight. "I'll help you get him to your car after the exam." she informed and they took off for their next classes. When Crysta and Jonny got to class, she set him down at a desk and peered into his face. He seemed drowsy. "Hey, Blondie." and she gave his face a gentle slap to wake him. "You gonna make it, amigo?" 

He blinked several times. "Yeah, thanks." Much to his surprise the exam was relatively easy, probably due to the studying Jessie had challenged him to do. He could never resist a challenge, especially from her. He finished halfway through the class and headed for the door. Crysta still had her head bowed, writing the final. He walked out, closing the door behind him, and suddenly fell to his knees, clutching at his torso. It felt like a fire had been ignited in his veins and it was steadily winning ground. He struggled to his feet and stumbled down the hall to the one place he knew he could be alone for this, the Auditorium. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he _had_ to be alone. 

Seconds after he got up Crysta walked out of the class in time to see him stumble for the Auditorium doors. "Hey, Blondie, where're you going?" she called, running to catch up. He simply walked through the doors, closing them quickly behind him, and locking them. Crysta struggled with the door for a moment before giving up. She ran through the halls towards Jessie's Physics class and knocked rather urgently on the door. A severe looking teacher opened the door. "Uh... Hi! I need to speak to Jessie Bannon real bad. You could say it a _family emergency_." 

Jessie heard and understood her friend. "It's okay, Mr. Leeman. I'm ahead in my work anyway." and she headed out the door, closing it behind her. "Crysta, what's wrong? Where's Jonny?" Down the hall she caught sight of Craig Waller, the school's quarterback who had been constantly trying to woo Jessie since her first day at Rockport High School. He was also the school's richest, if not snobbiest, student. He was watching them with great interest. 

"He finished before me and locked himself in the Auditorium." 

"C'mon, we'll use one of the stage doors." They ran through the corridors, heading for the nearest stage door. Jessie risked a glance behind her and saw Craig following them. They reached the door in time to hear the most horrific, blood curdling screams of pain possible. Craig started for the door, but then seemed to think better of it. 

"What the Hell was that?" he asked. 

Jessie had recognized the pained cry. "Oh, God, no! Not again!" and she dashed in. 

Crysta followed. "Again? Chica, what's going on?" Craig brought up the rear. The Auditorium was very dark and surreally quiet. "I got a bad feeling about this." She could see her friend's dark silhouette before her. 

"Hey! Something just moved past me!" Craig nearly shouted. 

"Don't move!" Jessie ordered to the two behind her. "He won't hurt you." 

"Won't hurt us? Jessica, what's going on?" he demanded. 

Her silent silhouette moved towards the stage and disappeared into a shadow. Despite her order, the others followed. Craig and Crysta were on the stage now, in one of the bright spotlights. Although the light was comforting it blocked out all shapes and movements beyond it. They couldn't see Jessie any more. It was like she had completely vanished. From the shadows the duo could hear a low, feral growl. It unnerved Craig to the point where he grabbed a broom handle that had been left on the stage and held it up menacingly. The tarp they were standing on was suddenly yanked out from under them, sending them sprawling on the ground. They heard something begin to rush towards them, nearly roaring, then Jessie appeared just within the spotlight, her arms outstretched in protection of her friends. "No, stop!" she ordered. The growling form stopped, its blue eyes watching Jessie in confusion. "They're my friends, _our _friends. You know them." 

Seeing his chance, Craig jumped to his feet to charge at this beast. Jessie was one step ahead of him. She turned and kicked him hard in the stomach. Craig collapsed in pain and lack of breath. "... Wh- ... What d'you... do that for?" he struggled over the pain. 

"To save your sorry butt. He could snap your neck like a dry twig." 

"You know that thing, then?" came Crysta's tentative query. 

"He's not a thing!" she shouted angrily, losing patience. "It's Jonny." She turned away from the stunned faces, back to the growling shadow, and smiled placatingly, holding her hands out to it. "It's okay, Hot Shot. It's me, Jessie. You remember me, don't you, Jonny?" Her voice was soft and soothing. Craig tensed when he saw the shadow move, but he remained where he was, mesmerized by Jessie's courage towards this thing. It stepped forwards into the light, taking her hands, and the ignorant duo cringed, expecting the worst. It never happened. "Jonny, you remember me, don't you?" 

He blinked. "Jesss? What happened to me?" 

She thought she heard his voice crack. "It's going to be okay. You're having a relapse of Dragon's Blood." 

He looked at his hands and a look of pure shock came over his face. "No. Thiss can't be happening. Dad found a cure. The otherss... They're sstill _normal_." 

She held his shoulders. "And so are you! We'll find out what went wrong, I promise." She turned to Craig, holding out her hand to the quarterback. "Craig, give me your cell phone." He hesitated, backing away. Her expression hardened. "Dammit, give me the cell phone!" 

"What do you hope to do?" he asked as he gave her the phone. 

"Get him some help." She dialed frantically with her free hand and waited. 

_"Hello?"_

"Doctor Quest? We have a problem." 

_"What's wrong, Jessie?"_

"It's Jonny, he had a relapse. It's the Dragon's Blood." 

_"Oh, dear. Keep him there, Race and I will be right there. Don't let anyone see him."_

"No problem, Doctor Quest, and hurry. Oh, and bring blankets, lots of them." She shut off the cell phone. "Our Dads are coming, Jonny. Everything'll be okay now." 

"Sseemss like you're alwayss pulling my butt out of the fire." he grinned a toothy smile. 

She shrugged. "Somebody has to." A rumbling chuckle escaped his throat and he gently nuzzled his face against her jaw line, holding her around the waist to keep her close. "Quit that." she giggled. "We have to hide you until they show up." He shivered suddenly. "What is it?" 

"Did ssomebody turn down the heat?" 

"No-- Oh, that's right. The cold's amplified for you now." 

"Then I know the perfect place to hide him." Craig spoke up. They all looked at him expectantly. "The Boiler Room. It should be plenty warm for him there." 

"Whoa! First you try to kill him, now you want to help him. Make up you mind, will ya!" Crysta stated. 

"Like she said, he could snap our necks like twigs. But he didn't. Can't be all bad. You go wait out by the front entrance for their Dads. I'll help keep watch at the Boiler Room door." 

They went to the door, cautiously peering out to make sure the school corridors were empty, then ran from intersection to intersection to their destinations. Jonny stopped running about three quarters of the way there and just shivered against a wall. Jessie came to his side. "C'mon, we have to keep going." she urged softly. 

"... Just... sso... cold..." 

She slung his arm around her shoulders, keeping him close. "I'll get you there, hang on to me." 

He managed a smile. "... I'd hang... on... to... you anyway..." 

She snapped her head around to face him, saw his smile, and couldn't resist the laugh that escaped her throat. "C'mon, Romeo." she chuckled. They reached the Boiler Room where Craig stationed himself at the door and Jessie helped Jonny inside. The furnace was working full steam and the heat that reigned in the room was nearly stifling. He moved away from her to stand as close as physically possible to the furnace. She stood against the furthest wall, watching him warm himself. "Glad you're feeling better." she voiced, wiping the sweat from her face. Not able to stand the heat any longer she removed her sweater and stood there in only her jeans and her bra. 

"I'm sstill trying to figure out what went wrong." he said, trying not to stare at her too obviously. 

She noticed his secret glances and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Dad doesn't kill you when he arrives. Back on topic, the cure was perfect. I really don't get it. What did you have that was so different than all the others?" 

"Compared to them, I wass a fraction of their age. Apart from that there'ss maybe the Quesst Sstrain, but--" 

Jessie snapped her fingers. "That's it!" 

"What?" 

"The Quest Strain! That's what screwed up the cure! Think about it, it's the only thing in your blood that's extra and that has such an unpredictable nature to be able to do this. That, and the fact that it existed in your blood as well as the cure, my blood." 

"Think Dad can reversse it?" 

She smiled in assurance. "Like I told Drayca a ways back, if anyone can find a cure for this thing it's Doctor Benton Quest." He smiled and came to lean on the wall near her. They stood there in silence for a moment, staring at the floor, before she looked up at him. Her voice went soft. "You almost went over the edge again back there. What happened?" 

He shook his head with a slight sigh. "There wass too much noisse. Couldn't conssentrate." 

She grinned. "Oh, so when I showed up you could suddenly concentrate again?" He grinned up at her sheepishly. His feelings were obvious now. "Tell me the truth. Solara's jealousy bit, that was founded, wasn't it?" 

He fidgeted, hesitating. "I guesss, now more than ever." he replied softly. 

"And the name you gave the girls here? It was my name, wasn't it?" 

He nodded a shy smile. She touched his cheek with the back of her fingers and he moved closer to wrap his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her bare shoulder. "Iss it posssible to need ssomeone sso much." he muttered softly, more to himself. 

"You need _me_?" Shock was obvious in her voice. 

"You, Dad, Race, Hadji, even Bandit... If it wassn't for all your help I wouldn't be here. You know how I am: Leap before you look." 

"Especially when it comes to doing stupid things." He backed away a step, giving her a puzzled frown. "The ravine. Remember? You wanted to jump across it on your hover board and..." 

"... ended up in the hosspital, in traction, for two monthss." He chuckled softly and held her close again. "I remember." He looked up at her, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. "I alsso remember the talk we had when Tim died. You ssee what I mean when I ssay that I need you?" 

She looked away, blushing ever so slightly. "Yeah, I guess I do. In the same way, I need you too." 

A crooked grin appeared. "Rational Jesssica Bannon needss irrational, horrible me? Now there'ss a sswitch." he jabbed verbally. 

"Rational Jessica Bannon needs reckless, incredible Jonathan Quest." He looked away in a reptilian attempt at a blush. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Ssure." 

"When did this conversation turn so mushy?" 

He began to laugh. "I think at about the ssame time you took off your ssweater." She looked down at herself, blushed in embarrassment, and shoved him over as they both laughed. 

* * * 

Craig heard the laughter coming from the Boiler Room and balled his fists in rage. Jessica was an incredible woman. She had hair of fire, eyes of emerald, perfect features, and a undauntable spirit. To top it all off she was the most intelligent person in school. And yet she spent most, if not all, of her time with Quest, someone who courted trouble every chance he got. And now that he had transformed into this monster she refused to leave his side. 

"Not fair, is it?" came a voice from the shadows breaking into his thoughts. 

He whirled around to find a grey eyed adolescent boy standing against a wall. He was dressed all in black, right down to his shoes, and a black leather bomber jacket. He gave a smile that left Craig cold. "Wha-- Who're you?" 

He remained in the shadows and chuckled. "Someone who's interests range alongside your own. We both want Quest out of the way of our plans." 

Craig hesitated, unsure. "Wha... What do you propose?" 

The voice chuckled. "Why get our hands dirty when we can have the ignorant do the work for us. I will arrange for the media to learn of Mister Quest's predicament. Meanwhile, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show." 

* * * 

Brenda Lee sat at her desk in the noisy office, drumming her pen absently on a blank pad of paper. She was a reporter on Rockport's community network, but to be a reporter she had to report on something. For the past three months nothing had happened. She sighed heavily, wishing deep down that she had taken the public interest story someone had tried to give (dump on) her. 

_Mrs. Beasley turning one hundred four. Better than nothing_, she mused. 

Suddenly, her phone rang and she sprang to life. 

"Brenda Lee, Channel Four News. Talk to me." 

"Miss Lee, I have a scoop for you." came a chillingly calm, and smug, voice from the receiver. It sent a chill up her spine. 

"I'm listening." 

"Bring a camera crew to the High School... _now._ Your scoop is there in all its monstrous glory." 

"But--" She heard a click and then the dial tone. Wasting no time she raced into the nearby lounge area. "I need a camera crew-- Now!!" 

* * * 

Jonny sat against the wall, trying to remain as focused as possible by using some of Hadji's waking meditation techniques, as he watched his other friend pace the room. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he watched her. Her sweater was in a pile next to him. He wondered briefly what Race would think if her saw her this way. _God, she's beautiful_. Her fiery hair caught what little light was in the room and seemed to come alive with flames. Her green eyes were on the ground before her in concentration. Her cream skin seemed to glow in the dim light. He could easily feel her sense of overwhelming agitation. It almost permeated the room. The source of her feeling was clear. 

"Your clausstrophobia?" he asked gently. 

She continued to pace without hesitation. "What was your first clue?" 

He shrugged. "The fact that you're trying to wear a hole through the floor." He reached out and grabbed her arm as she paced by. "Ssit down before you drive uss both batty." 

"That's too late for me." she obeyed and sat at his side. 

"Then why didn't you go out in the hall?" 

She looked at him quickly and he caught the sight of slight shock in her eyes before she looked down at her hands. "Do I even have to answer that?" she asked, her voice suddenly soft. 

"Guesss not." From through the door they could hear loud voices getting nearer. "Think it'ss our Dadss?" 

She got to her feet and moved towards the door, putting her sweater back on. "Who else could it be?" 

But before she could open the door it burst open, throwing her back, and a throng of flash bulbs and bright camera lights filled the dim room. "Jesss!" Jonny called before suddenly become the center of attention of the media. The noise of thousands of questions, camera motors, lights flashing and dozens of footsteps filled his ears, driving him ever closer to the edge of madness. He couldn't see Jessie anymore. Lights were blinding him from every angle. It was too much and his eyes began to dart around the room madly. "NOOO!!!" he roared, the beast within taking hold. He lashed out at the nearest cameras and their owners, drawing blood from a few, and charged out of the room, away from the noise. 

Some tried to chase after him, the others turned to Jessie who had just picked herself off the ground. A camera light blinded her as a microphone was shoved in her face. "Brenda Lee, Channel Four News, reporting live from Rockport High School where we have received reports of a strange monster roaming the halls. At first glance it appeared remotely human with strong lizard traits. We have here who we believe was its captive for a time. Miss, could you tell about the creature?" 

"... I..." 

"Did it hurt you in any way?" another demanded. 

"... No--" 

"Where did it come from? Does it have a name?" still another demanded. 

"No, leave me alone!" she shouted and ran into the hall and into the chest of a large man. She looked up into the worried features of her Father, Race Bannon. "Dad! Oh, thank God." she breathed. 

"It okay, Ponchita." 

"Jessie, where is he?" Doctor Quest asked from behind Race. Crysta stood at his side. 

"He snapped. Doctor Quest, there was a leak. Someone told the media." Race muttered a rather colorful curse under his breath, grabbed the nearest camera man, a punched him square in the jaw. Jessie frowned a smirk. "Feel better, Dad?" 

"Some." He balled his fists and sighed away some tension. "Where d'he run to?" 

"Don't know, but he's still wearing his watch. We can track him using yours, Doctor Quest." 

They did so and took off at a run, unfortunately also followed by the throngs from the media. "Did you figure out why he had the relapse?" Doctor Quest inquired as they went. 

"I think it has something to do with the Quest Strain! It's the only thing he had different from the Children and the only thing that existed in the cure!" They ran after Doctor Quest as if on a hunt, until they reached a door Jessie had seen before. "Should've known." she muttered. She turned to her Father and friends. "Keep them out of the Auditorium. I can reach him." 

"Ponchita--?" 

"It's okay, Daddy. He won't hurt me. He could never hurt me. Whatever you hear, wait here. I'll bring him out." and she walked in the dark Auditorium. 

* * * 

Jonny roared, forcing every shred of insanity and violence out of his system, but to no avail. For everything he felt released there would be more ready to take its place. His half reptilian eyes let loose a cascade of tears down his scaled cheeks. His breath now came in ragged gasps. "Jesssie! I need you!" his last shred of humanity gasped desperately. 

"She won't help you." came a mocking voice from the shadows. 

The voice was vaguely familiar, but his bestial mind couldn't place it. He searched the shadows and saw nothing, even with his heightened eye sight. "Who'ss there?" 

"Oh, an old friend. You know she hates you, hates what you've become." 

"That'ss not true. Sshe'ss my friend." 

"Is she? I wonder, where is she right now that you need her?" Jonny's muddled mind listened intently, absorbing everything the voice said with interest and belief. "I hear she tells you what to do, what to think. Does a friend do that?" Anger began to swell in Jonny. Everything rational was shut out. All he heard were the venomous words of this voice. "She squeals when you do something wrong. Does a friend betray a friend? How did the media find out about you? She hates you. She thinks you're a freak." 

"Jonny?" came a new voice from the shadows. 

"There she is, my friend. The source of your problems. Kill her and those problems go away." Then the voice chuckled and disappeared. 

Jonny growled low in his throat and hid himself in a dark corner as Jessie came into view. He no longer saw her as his friend, but as his antagonist. 

"Jonny? Where are you?" She stepped onto the stage and looked around in the dim light. She saw nothing, but she could hear his soft growl. "Jonny, talk to me. I can help you." 

"You don't want to help me." he snarled. 

She blinked at the hatred in his words. "That's not true. I want to help." 

He stepped into the light, facing her with pure rage on his face. "You never wanted to help. You alwayss nagged. I musst have been ssuch a fun _toy _for you." He lunged at her, lashing out with his claws, and she barely evaded them in time. 

"What're you talking about? It's me, Jessie." Her voice began to shake. 

"_I know who you are! Ssomeone who thinkss I'm a freak to be sstudied under one of your microsscopess! I thought we were friendss!_" He began to advance on her. 

She backed away fearfully. "I am your friend." 

"_You lie! You hate me! You've alwayss hated me!_" and he lunged again. 

"No, Jonny--!" 

She tripped and fell to her back. He was on top of her, pinning her to the floor with a hand at her throat, and raised his other clawed hand to strike a death blow as a low roar escaped his throat. 

"_I LOVE YOU!_" she cried out as she saw his hand begin to descend. 

He froze, as did his heart. He blinked. _Did she just say what I think she said?_ He looked deep into her eyes and saw the answer he sought: The truth. He could only stare for a moment before suddenly backing away. She grabbed his wrist to keep him from fleeing. He looked from her hand, to her eyes, and back several times. "Did you...?" 

"I did." 

"And did you...?" 

"Mean it? With all my heart." 

His breath deepened as he realized what he had almost done to her. "And I tried to kill you." He tried to pull away, but she held on, pulling him into her arms to hold him tight. He willingly fell into her arms. "I'm sso ssorry, Jesss." he breathed through tears. She just held him, rocking him gently in an effort to comfort him. They both cried in each other's arms, pressed close to each other. "I never meant--" 

"I know." she breathed. Jessie gently smoothed his hair away from his face. "What happened?" 

"I... I heard a voisse. Ssomeone wass telling the monsster in me all thesse liess about you. I can't believe I believed him." and he buried his face into her mane of fiery hair. 

"I don't blame you, I could never blame you. It wasn't you at the time." she soothed gently. Then, "Wait a minute! What voice?" 

"Why, mine, _Red_." came a voice from the shadows. 

A cold chill raced up her spine. "I know that voice." she muttered flatly. 

"I should hope you remember me. I'd be so disappointed if you didn't." and he stepped into the light. 

Jessie glared coldly, restraining Jonny as best she could. "Merrick." she spat. 

"Oh, now why so formal, Red?" Jonny almost got away from Jessie's grip and Kyle pulled out a very deadly looking hand gun in response. "Down, boy. You know I can't miss from this distance." 

"You can't sshoot uss both at the ssame time, Merrick." he menaced. 

"True, but I can make the other hesitate long enough to finish the other off. Can't beat that logic, eh? I was hoping that if he attacked you that you'd be forced to kill him to protect yourself. So much for that. Now, Red, move away from you _lizard-in-glistening-scales_ and come here." 

"No." she stated in defiance. 

He sighed, almost exasperated. "I know you don't want your new_ love-of-your-life_ killed again, so _come here!_" 

A sudden thought occurred to Jonny and he grabbed his companion's wrist to restrain her. "Jesss, wait." he hissed. "He can't kill me." 

She faced him. "What?" 

"I'm waiting, Red." came Kyle's impatient remark. 

"Jesssie, lissten to me." he urged, recapturing her attention. "_'Sso long ass the Dragon with who you have sshared blood livess, you live.'_ Remember? I can't die." 

She looked from him, to the gun in Kyle's hand, and back. "You think...?" 

"Only one way to find out." He pulled her around behind him, shielding her with himself. 

Kyle frowned. "You have a death wish, Quest." 

"Maybe." He grinned wickedly and stepped forward. "Let'ss ssee if you can kill me thiss time. You have, what, ten roundss there? How many will it take? I already died onsse, at your hand no lesss. Try again." and he continued forward. 

"Jonny...?" 

"It'ss okay, Jesss." 

**BLAM!! BLAM!! BLAM!!**

Jonny fell to one knee, clutching at his chest in utter pain. "Oh, God, that sstingss!" he groaned. He looked down at himself, mainly at the lack of serious wounds, and stood, laughing. "One, two, three, look at me." 

Kyle stared in stunned disbelief. Only a minute amount of blood showed from the impact areas. The only proof that he had been shot were the holes in his shirt and the missing bullets in the gun clip. Kyle recovered and leveled his gun again. 

**BLAM!! BLAM!!**

Jonny grimaced, but stood his ground. He frowned a smile. "Four, five, sstill alive." 

**BLAM!! BLAM!!**

"Ssicss, sseven, still no sstairway to heaven." 

**BLAM!!**

"Eight, it'ss getting late." 

**BLAM!!**

"Nine, you're almosst out of time." 

**BLAM!! Click! Click!**

Jonny smiled. "Ten. Game over, the end." and he lunged at him. Kyle's face fell in shock as he quickly struggled to load another clip into his gun. In a flash of greenish gold it was knocked away and it skidded across the stage floor. A clawed hand closed over his throat and lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling uselessly. "You're mine now!" 

The Auditorium door burst open as Race kicked it open, his side arm in hand. Benton, Craig, and Crysta were right behind him. And behind them, the media. 

"Jonny, no!" Doctor Quest called out to his Son. 

He looked to his Father, then to Kyle. He grimaced in disgust. "You're not worth it. Count yoursself lucky." he snarled and tossed him off the stage into the Auditorium chairs. 

Race went over to Kyle and held him at gun point. "Move and you'll wish you hadn't." 

Brenda Lee looked to the lizard creature on the stage to the young man being held at gun point on the ground. "He tried to save the girl and you threaten to shoot him if he moves?" 

"Lady, you have no idea who this guy is. He tried to kill my little girl and Doctor Quest's Son." He restrained Kyle, securing him to one of the floor bolted chairs, then proceeded to help Craig and Crysta push the media back. 

Benton Quest looked at his Son, his eyes full of compassion and guilt. Jonny smirked. "Don't you dare blame yoursself for thiss one, Dad." he warned playfully. 

He couldn't help but laugh. "You win. What say we go home and try to find you a cure and find you a more human look." 

"Fine by me. Sscale aren't really my thing." 

* * * 

Ten days went by since Jonny Quest had been brought back to the Compound. Since then he and his Father had remained locked away in the Lighthouse laboratory working on a cure. Doctor Quest wouldn't allow anyone in on the grounds of the least amount of distractions the better. Unless subdued by her Father, Jessie would pace the floor of the Family Room anxiously. She wanted answers to the feelings she had and she wanted to know if a cure was possible. 

"Ponchita, you've hardly slept and you've barely eaten a thing since we came back." 

"Can't help it, Dad. I'm too worried." 

"He'll find a cure, and you know it. There's nothing the Doc can't do when he sets his mind to it." 

"But it's taking so long." 

"Rome wasn't built in a day." 

"This is a little more important that Rome, Dad." 

Race chuckled softly. "Finally happened." 

"What?" 

"You and Jonny." Her cheeks flushed a bright red, rivaling the color of her hair, as she kept herself from meeting his eyes. "Don't think your Ol' Man's clueless, Sweetheart. I've seen how you two are together. Regular two peas in a pod." 

"I wish I knew what was going on, just listen through the door, but there's so much soundproofing that I wouldn't hear a thing." She hesitated slightly. "I... I just don't want anything happening to him." 

"I know, Ponchita, I know. But it's all in Benton's hands now." 

* * * 

"This one looks extremely promising, Son." Doctor Quest announced as he held a test tube of a translucent red substance to the light. He looked slightly haggard from ten days of no rest. He refused it on the grounds that he had to find a cure for his only Son. 

Jonny frowned. "That'ss what you ssaid about the lasst three." he grumbled. 

Benton looked at him. "You getting tired?" 

"Only of the IV needle in my arm." he answered, raising his forearm to reveal a short tube at the end of a needle. "But I guesss it'ss better than getting sstuck each time we tesst the sstuff." 

Doctor Quest filled a syringe and stuck in the end of the IV tube. "Ready?" Jonny nodded, his eyes on the syringe with hope. His Father shot the contents home and looked at his watch, waiting. 

After a few minutes, Jonny seemed to stiffen. "Dad?" 

"What is it?" 

He couldn't reply. He toppled off his stool, doubled over in a fetal position, and screamed in sheer agony as a new fire invaded his body. 

* * * 

"I can't wait any longer. I'm going to check on them." and Jessie headed for the door. 

Race stopped her, grabbing her arms. "Hold it right there, Young Lady. The Doc left orders. He's not to be disturbed until he finds the cure." 

"But all this waiting is killing me! I have to know what's going on." 

He grinned in amusement. "You've been hanging around Jonny too long. You're starting to sound like him." 

"Dad!" 

"Don't worry, Jessie. I'm sure everything's just fine." There was a slamming of a door at the back of the house. "See, that's probably them right now." They stood their ground and watched the door to the Family Room, waiting for them to show up. Doctor Quest was the first to appear, supporting a weakened and still pained Jonny at his side. An elated smile spread across Jessie's face. Not a trace of a scale or any other lizard like feature remained on him. He was human once again. 

"Jonny!" she cried as she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. 

"I'm okay, Jess." he whispered tiredly in her hair. He felt her shudder in relief and tightened his arms. 

She held him tight for a moment before suddenly feeling him sink slightly in her arms. "Oops! I got you." She supported his weight as she guided him to the couch to sit down. His Father had already gotten to his easy chair and had collapsed gratefully. "Think this'll be permanent, Doctor Quest?" 

"I really hope so, Jessie, but, as always, time will tell. Oh, thank you, Race." he thanked when Race handed him a mug of hot coffee. "I think, after all this, I'll sleep for a week." 

"Longer for me." Jonny muttered. 

"If the news hounds leave us alone long enough." the ex-Covert Operations Officer sighed heavily as he peered through the curtains towards the Compound's fence. "They haven't left the Main Gate for ten days now." 

"They'll tire out when they see there's no story left to cover. Meanwhile, I'm pulling both of you out of school until then. How're you feeling, Jonny?" and he took a deep drink of his coffee. 

His Son was still wrapped in Jessie's arms, leaning on her tiredly. "Like the living acetylene torch that just ran out of fuel. It was worse than the first two changes combined." 

"Jessie, why don't you help him to his room so he can rest. He's been through a tough time." 

As the two adults continued to talk she slung her friend's arm over her shoulders to support his weight and began the climb to the second floor. He gratefully accepted her help, knowing full well he would never have been able to make the trip on his own power. His room was the third door down the hall. He stumbled more than once on the way. Opening this door she helped him in towards his bed. His blankets had been turned down for the night, probably by Mrs. Evans several days ago. With a tired groan he let himself drop to the mattress and she draped the blankets over him, tucking them up to his neck. She sat next to him, watching him begin to drift into sleep. "Wake me in a month." he mumbled. She chuckled and laced her fingers through his hair. His eyes opened slightly to look up at her. "Can I ask you something, Jess?" 

"Sure." 

"Everything you told me ten days ago, you meant it all?" 

The question was innocent, tentative. She smiled gently and leaned over him, bringing her face close to his. "This should answer your question." Ever so softly she brushed her lips against his before finally pressing them to his in a loving kiss. One arm wrapped around her waist to hold her close as the other hand pressed between her shoulder blades. She held him tight, exploring his mouth at a torturing leisurely speed. He felt himself go half mad from her slow ministration and he loved every second of it. Breathless moments later she pulled away to grin down at him. "Any more questions?" she purred. 

He smiled up at her for a moment before he suddenly began to laugh. "I'm just lucky I can remember my name right now." She laughed right along with him and laid her head against his chest, stretching out at his side. He kept his arms around her. "How long have you been wanting to say that you love me?" 

She smiled. "Some two years now. I... was afraid, didn't know how you'd react." 

"Want to know what my reaction is?" She looked up at him. He paused for a slight moment before he sighed softly. "For the past two years, since our _Ghost Quest_, I've been fooling myself." He lowered himself so they were now face to face. "All those times I leapt into action without thinking it was to try to protect you. I realize now why I do it. Jess, I love you so much it _hurts_." 

Her smile softened, touching his cheek. He had said the words and she had seen that he meant it from the look of his eyes. "'So daring in love, and so dauntless in war...'" she quoted from the poem _Lochinvar_. "You were never one to do things halfway." She snuggled close to him, nestling her head beneath his chin as his strong arms held her, pulling his bed spread over her to keep her warm. Soon, they were both asleep, wrapped in the comfort of each other's arms and love. 

Later that night Race went to check on his Daughter. Not finding her in her room he calmly went to Jonny's bedroom. He wasn't worried. He knew if she was anywhere she would be there. Sure enough, wrapped in the young man's arms, was Jessie. He smiled at them both, a sad smile as he realized this was the beginning of the end of his little girl. She was taking her first steps to becoming a woman. At least she would be taking these steps with someone he himself trusted. Jonny had proven himself a responsible young man with her. Race sighed quietly , closed the door, and went off to his own room. His last thoughts, as his head hit the pillow, were of the sleeping duo down the hall and the fact that he would have to call Estella with this news of their little girl's first steps as an adult. He sighed again and fell asleep.   
  


THE END 

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	2. Love's Tests

### Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

Synopsis : _The life and love adventures of Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon, but after a car accident are thing as real as they seem?_

> _Doug and Mica Sanderson are the sole property of Deborah Kluge. Permission was granted for the use of these characters._

# **Love's Tests**

By Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet 

Jonny Quest collapsed on his queen size bed, the mattress caving slightly beneath him. He and Jessie Bannon had just had another of their late night games of tag. This particular game had reminded him of one they had played a year back during a summer rain storm. It was colder now, being early August, but playing tag in the mud was always fun. He lay there for long moments more, listening to the sound of Jessie's shower, and the sudden urge to join her in the shower swept over him. He had a pretty good idea that she wouldn't mind the intrusion. They had gotten pretty close over the past year. Her Father, Race, still didn't know about the extent of their relationship. Jonny had to admit, the though of telling him scared him. He thought of Jessie in the shower and sighed blissfully. He could picture her there, nude, beautiful, but he fought back the urge knowing they had enough to try to explain to their Fathers without adding this fuel to the fire. Jonny suddenly sat up and looked at his pillow. Mud and sand stained the depression his head had left, deciding him to take his turn in the shower when she was done, and he flipped his pillow over to its clean side. That was when he noticed the thick silence. Slipping into his night robe he started for the door when someone suddenly knocked softly. With a puzzled frown he opened the door just a crack. Jessie stood there with a soft smile, her night robe pulled tightly around her, her damp hair hanging around her shoulders in a wet, red mass. His nose picked up the sweet scent of strawberries in the air, from her. 

He smiled at her, opening the door wide in invitation. "Jessie...?" His voice was a near whisper. 

She leaned her shoulder against the door frame, an almost playful look on her face. "I would've thought you'd have joined me, back there." and she shyly pointed to the bathroom from over her shoulder. Her voice was as soft as his. 

He leaned on the same door frame, standing very near her. "Not for lack of wanting, but I figured we have enough explaining to do as it is without adding _that_ to the list." 

She giggled softly as she reached up to toy with a rebel lock of his hair. "Right. So, what do we do now?" 

"Well, I was going to get cleaned up..." and he pushed himself off the wall. 

"While you do that I think I'll stay here and think up a few things to do for when you get back." she added in a playful half whisper just as he stepped out into the hallway. 

He stopped in mid-track as a wide grin spread across his face. "On second thought..." he stated and he turned and came back to her. 

She fought hard to stifle the laughter that tried to force itself from her throat as he pinned her against the wall, but the bright gleam in her eyes betrayed just how joyfully elated her soul was. He took that as a direct invitation to proceed with what he intended to do. She closed her eyes when his lips touched hers, lightly at first, then with a heated passion. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding him close. Then he pulled away and they smiled breathlessly at each other. "Go on." she breathed. "I'll still be here when you get back... if you hurry." She allowed herself a quiet laugh when he suddenly bolted down the hall towards the open bathroom door before she entered his room. 

It took him roughly ten minutes to get rid of all the mud and sand on him before returning to his room and by then she had everything set. Jonny's wet hair was slicked back and he clutched his robe tightly around him in an attempt to keep the warmth from the shower with him. He smiled suddenly at a thought. He would be warm enough before the night was over. 

When he entered his room he found Jessie lying in his bed, facing the window. She smiled at him from over her shoulder, enticing him over. Then she casually turned her eyes back to the window, at the falling rain hitting the window pane and the occasional distant flash of lightning followed by a gentle roll of thunder. He closed the door behind him, tossed his night robe at the foot of his bed, where hers lay, and climbed in under the covers next to her, pressing close to her warm back. She nestled herself back against him, letting him wrap her in his strong arms, the warmth of his still slightly wet body seeping into her. He pressed his lips to the soft spot behind her ear and was rewarded by feeling her tremble slightly with a silent gasp. She smelled and tasted of strawberries, a flavor he long ago had learned to love. He held her closer suddenly, almost protectively, one of his hands unconsciously grabbing a fistful of her nightshirt at her hip. She noticed his protectiveness. 

"What's wrong?" came her questioning whisper. 

"Nothing. Just a thought..." 

"Share." she urged gently. 

He smiled sadly. "I was just thinking back... to Cairo... when..." He stopped suddenly, unable to continue for a moment, and his arms tightened as the painful void threatened to invade his soul at the memory. She knew what he was referring to. She had died from a brutal attack in Cairo, but had managed to fight her way back to life then, and to him. "And then at how many times I came close to losing you." he continued. "Back in the Arctic, in Paris and in California..." He nuzzled her nape as his hands flattened against her stomach. "I still can't bare the thought." he breathed. 

Her eyes went wide for a moment at what he said. "Losing me? What about me losing you? The attacks from Surd, Zin, Rage, the incident with the Quest Strain, the plane crash over Brazil, the Dragon's Blood and the relapse of it... I almost lost you so many times that if it ever happened again I'd go nuts." She snuggled back against him, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, feeling the thin cotton of his T-shirt, and Jonny could see a mixture of sadness, love, and worry on her face and in her eyes. "I don't ever want to lose you." came her softer than soft whisper. 

"You won't, so long as I never lose you." He kissed her temple, then suddenly sighed heavily, holding her tight again. There was a different feel to the way he held her this time. "Tell me something, Jess." 

His voice was such a low, warm breathed whisper next to her ear that it sent a thrill racing up along her spine. "What?" 

"How _are_ we going to explain all this to our Fathers?" 

"All what?" she smiled innocently as she lightly rubbed her foot along his shin. 

He chuckled and fixed the leg between hers. "You know very well what. This, the incident at the White House, the time when we danced the Bolero and the Mambo, the time in the jungle when Hadji--" 

"I remember." Jessie giggled. "We'll explain it the same way we always do. Tell the truth, but..." 

He smiled. "I know, I know..." 

""Don't volunteer information and no detail."" they said in unison, then laughed quietly. 

"They _will_ find out the whole truth someday, though." Jonny continued. 

She smiled. "Oh, of course, but I expect that by then there won't be very much they can do to stop us." 

"From doing what?" His voice became coy and gruff. 

She turned in his arms slightly, just enough to see his smiling face and wrap an arm around his shoulders. She rested her knee against his hip, causing the physical contact they were sharing to become all the more intimate. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Her smile was shy and sultry at the same time. "I don't know, Jonny, but I'm sure you'll figure something out." came her soft reply. 

His trademark grin appeared as he leaned over her, pulling her closer. She could feel herself melt as her heart pounded maddeningly, threatening to explode. "Know what?" 

Jessie bit her lower lip as she began to imagine just what pleasant torture he might be planning for her at that very moment in time. "What?" she could barely say so much she was breathless. 

He pinned her to the mattress with his own body. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and the warmth of his whole body blending with hers. "I'm glad it's Saturday." he whispered. She beamed at him, suddenly realizing his intent. His lips gently brushed against hers, a feather like touch, then claimed her lips deeply as he held her ever so tight. 

* * * 

Somewhere in the house a clock struck 11:00 AM. Jonny slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by a sight that took his breath away. Autumn sunshine was pouring through his window onto the sleeping form next to him. Her red hair glowed with coppers and fires no one could possibly describe. The soft skin of her face had a contented rosy hue. They had held each other tightly all through the night, enjoying the feel of each other's arms. Nothing else had happened. His heart ached sadly at the thought of having to wake her, but he managed a smile when a gentle form of awakening came into his mind. Ever so gently he traced small circles along the edge of her face and down her neck to her night-shirt's collar, slipping beneath the flannel for only a moment to retrieve the half-dollar sized green stone locket beneath her shirt. It had been a gift he had offered her during a visit to Bangalore, India. He knew that one half held a picture of their two families, including her Mother, together but he had never seen what the other picture was. The opportunity to see the other image had never come up. He carefully pried it open and gasped silently. The other picture was of one person; himself. She kept a picture of him next to her heart. 

He remembered having posed for that shot a few months back. It had been a few hours before a semi-formal gathering the Quest Team had been invited to. Jessie had snuck up behind him and had startled him. Then she had dared him to pose for a picture for what he thought was her _Wall of Fame_, a whole wall in her room she had dedicated to pictures of her family and close friends. He, of course, had accepted her dare. 

She sighed softly, waking, when he let the locket rest against her throat and her eyes fluttered open, turning to him. Two perfect emeralds smiled at him from beneath long lashes. "The smiles that win..." he breathed, touching her bottom lip with his thumb. 

Jessie could feel herself begin to melt again as a pair of flawless sapphires twinkled lovingly at her. No words were needed. An irresistible force pulled them together, their lips meeting. Still locked in the embrace she forced him to his back, straddling his waist and pinning his arms on either side of his head. She explored his mouth at a leisurely pace, driving him half wild from her gentle ministrations. She loved this control she had over him, being the aggressor. After a moment she pulled back to beam down at him. He merely stared up at her with a surprised look etched in his features. 

She traced his lips with her finger and giggled. "What's that look for?" she whispered. 

He blinked suddenly and grinned. "Wow!" he breathed breathlessly. 

"Is that _all_ you can find to say?" 

Jonny placed his hands behind his head, the grin becoming sly. "I think that pretty much summed everything up, don't you?" 

Jessie chuckled, kissed him again, then got off him to stand. "I better get out of here." She threw on her robe and headed for the door, stopping only for a moment at his dresser to grab one of his black shirts. He frowned a puzzled grin to which she merely winked playfully. "You'll see... But right now, if our Fathers find me here there'll be Hell to pay." He suddenly leapt to his feet, grabbed her waist, and pinned her back against the still closed door. She pressed her palms against his chest to restrain him. "I _have_ to go." she giggled. 

"We keep our stories straight, right?" 

"Yes. You went out, I heard a noise and thought it was an intruder, I went out, you thought I was an intruder, you tackled me, we fell in the mud, and then we came in. No detail. Pretty much what happened last year." 

"Kind of takes out all the fun of the real story without all the detail." 

"Don't gripe. After all, we _did_ live that story. Twice." she replied, her voice soft. He sighed, half sad, half reminiscent of last night. She touched his cheek in sympathy and gently kissed his lips. "I'll see you downstairs, okay?" 

He nodded and, reluctantly, let her slip out of his arms and out of his room. He quickly got dressed and went out into the hallway. Hadji met him at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Hadj." 

"You are positively glowing, my friend. Does this have anything to do with what happened last night before you were _caught_?" 

"Uh... no. More with what happened _afterwards_." 

"Ah, and what _did_ happen?" 

"Oh, no you don't. Bad enough Dad and Race'll be grilling me and Jess. You'll just have to wait and hear it when they ask, buddy." They entered the kitchen where Hadji retrieved the morning's newspaper as his adoptive Brother poured himself a glass of orange juice. Jonny suddenly heard Hadji gasp and the newspaper floated to the ground. When he turned he couldn't help the pleasantly surprised smile that spread across his face. Standing in the doorway, wearing identical blue jeans as the ones he was wearing and his black lycra shirt that her perfect figure was gradually stretching, was Jessica Bannon. Her red hair had been so fiercely brushed that it shone as if it were to burst into flames. She walked by a still stunned Hadji, picking up the fallen paper as she went, and went to sit up on the kitchen counter top. Jonny went to stand next to her. "Nice shirt." he stated over the rim of his glass before he took a sip. 

She grinned sweetly. "Nice of you to notice." She reached over and took his glass from him, taking a drink from it herself. In response he snatched the newspaper away and stood with his back to her, flipping through the pages. She chuckled and, putting the glass aside, she gripped his shoulders and forced him to lean back against her, wrapping her arms around his torso. "What are you looking for?" she asked, leaning her chin on his shoulder, not able to hide the amused grin at the look Hadji was giving them. 

"Entertainment news. What good movies might be playing in town tonight." 

She nodded silently and continued to read the paper from over his shoulder. "Wasn't last night enough _entertainment_ for you?" she asked, her voice coy and quiet in his ear so Hadji wouldn't hear. 

"Mmm, I'm just looking for a prelude for tonight." he replied on an equal tone and she giggled in understanding. 

"How 'bout _Don Juan DeMarco_?" 

"Sounds good. I could pick up a few pointers while I'm at it." 

She nuzzled her face to the sensitive spot behind his ear and grinned sweetly. "Not that you need any pointers." she murmured. She was rewarded by feeling a slight tremor shake through him. 

Some time later Race and Doctor Quest entered the kitchen. Jessie and Jonny leapt to their feet, awaiting the onslaught of questions. The adults calmly took their seats at the table and regarded the young duo. Doctor Quest's eyebrow shot up when he noticed that they were dressed exactly alike. He wondered what exactly had happened last night, knowing full well there was no way they would tell them the whole truth. Knowing them as he did they would suppress all the details and wouldn't volunteer information unless asked directly. Benton knew something had happened and he silently dreaded it. _They grow up so fast..._ he mused sadly. The two teenagers seemed to squirm from the adults' scrutiny. 

"Well, let's have it." Race suddenly ordered, not having noticed his Daughter's new style of dress. 

Jonny ran a hand through his hair nervously as Jessie shifted her weight to her other foot, then he began. "Okay... Last night I couldn't sleep. I was on the IRC pretty late when I finally got bored and logged off. I still needed to do something so I went outside for a run." 

"That's when I woke up." Jessie continued. "I wasn't sleeping very well, I guess it was the temperature. I heard some noise downstairs and went down to check. I saw someone outside and, thinking it was an intruder, I went out to stop whoever it was before I lost sight of him." 

"I saw someone roaming in the woods and ended up tackling this person. We ended up wrestling..." 

"... And, at a breather, we realized that we were wrestling each other..." 

"... In the mud. Seeing as there was no danger anymore..." 

"... We came in to get cleaned up, slipping on the mud on the way..." 

"... Which explains all the mud and sand on the walls and floor. And that's when you guys came in." Jonny concluded. 

His Father nodded slowly, absorbing the story. "That doesn't explain why you've suddenly taken to dressing alike." 

Race had a double take, suddenly taking notice of how the two teenagers were dressed. His face registered the dread at the prospect of what was happening between the two, the expression souring when the thought of where she got the shirt entered his thoughts. He began to open his mouth to comment. 

"Coincidence." Jessie replied quickly before Jonny could react and before her Father could say a thing. Jonny smiled inwardly, noticing how she conveniently neglected to mention where she had originally gotten the shirt. 

A tense, long moment went by, as the adults weighed the answers they had received, before Benton finally leaned back in his chair. "Well, then, you'll clean up the mess you two made last night before you can even think about going into town. I don't want a trace of mud or sand left in that hallway. Go to it." 

""Yes, Sir."" and they left the kitchen, taking whatever cleaning supplies they would need with them. 

"That went relatively well." Jonny muttered. 

* * * 

They finished cleaning the mansion entrance way by sundown and by then they were far too tired to catch a movie in town. It had taken longer than they had expected to clean away the dried mud in the carpet and on the walls. As the last of the sun's rays dipped beneath the horizon, Jonny had a warm fire blazing in the Family Room's fireplace. Since the storm the temperature had continually dropped. There would be frost on the ground in the morning. Leaves had already begun falling off the trees. Jessie was returning the cleaning supplies to their proper places in the kitchen. Jonny's Father, Race, and Hadji had been in the Lighthouse the rest of the day. By the sounds of things they would remain there late into the night thanks to a new invention that was giving them trouble and which the military scientific community were waiting for impatiently. With a tired sigh Jonny let himself drop into one of the more comfortable, reclining sofa chairs then suddenly stiffened. Something had been stuffed under the seat. Reaching under the cushion he pulled out a large leather bound book. He recognized this book. It had been his Mother's favorite book of old poetry. He looked up at her painting above the fireplace, smiled sadly, and opened the book at random, bringing a wash of memories from the scent of the book. A dried out, flattened magnolia was pressed between the first pages, his Mother's favorite flower, and his Father had long ago written a dedication to her on the inside cover. 

"You're grinning as if in a daydream. What do you have there?" came a soft voice from the door, moving closer. 

He looked up to see Jessie standing next to his chair, a wide grin on her face. "Hey, Jess. It's just something Mom used to read. And, for your information, yes, I was daydreaming." He then grinned impishly, looking deep into her eyes. "Or am I still dreaming?" 

She chuckled. "You speaketh with a silver tongue, sir." She then looked at the pages and smiled. "Poetry. Huh, Mrs. Quest was cultured _and_ beautiful." 

"That was Mom." he sighed. 

"Move over." Jessie crawled into the chair he was in, snuggling close to his side as she held him around his chest, her legs across his lap. He draped an arm around her shoulders and reclined the chair back for added comfort for them both. He had to admit, this was a cozy situation. It was a good thing their Fathers weren't here to see them. "Read something." she stated gently, opening the book for him. 

He chuckled and gently kissed her cheekbone, his lips lingering against her skin a moment longer. "Okay. Let's see here..." He flipped through the pages and then suddenly settled on one with a playful grin. She couldn't quite see the title. "First Love by John Clare." he read out loud for her. 

She giggled innocently as she laid her cheek on his shoulder. "Oh, how appropriate." Her voice held a playful tinge of sarcasm. He held her closer, his arm slipping around her waist to hold her and the book, and began to read. 

"I ne'er was struck before that hour 

With love so sudden and so sweet, 

Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower 

And stole my heart away complete. 

My face turned pale as deadly pale, 

My legs refused to walk away, 

And when she looked, what could I ail? 

My life and all seemed turned to clay.   
  


And then my blood rushed to my face 

And took my eyesight quite away, 

The trees and bushes round the place 

Seemed midnight at noonday. 

I could not see a single thing, 

Words from my eyes did start-- 

They spoke as chords do from the string, 

And blood burnt round my heart.   
  


Are flowers the winter's choice? 

Is love's bed always snow? 

She seemed to hear my silent voice, 

Not love's appeals to know. 

I never saw so sweet a face 

As that I stood before. 

My heart has left its dwelling-place 

And can return no more." 

Her eyes had closed when he read. His voice was soft, with a gruff edge she picked up and liked. It made her shiver involuntarily. She was in her own little world at that moment in time. When he finished she turned her green eyes up to his face, her fingers gently tracing his jaw line. So many times she had lost herself in his eyes. It was then she realized just how much she truly cared for him. "My turn." she whispered. She turned a few pages before finding one she liked. 

"The red rose whispers of passion, 

And the white rose breathes of love; 

O, the red rose is a falcon, 

And the white rose is a dove.   
  


But I send you a cream-white rosebud 

With a flush upon its petal tips; 

For the love that is purest and sweetest 

Has a kiss of desire on the lips." 

His lopsided, trademark grin appeared as he listened to her silk soft voice, then he turned to look down at her. Her lashed veiled her eyes, hiding their bright emerald depths from his sight. "Could that be considered a hint of some sort?" His low voice held an almost playful tone. 

She grinned impishly, trying not to look up at him for fear of drowning in the blue of his eyes. "Maybe." she replied shyly. Jonny chuckled and turned the pages, finding another poem. 

"She walks in beauty, like the night 

Of cloudless climes and starry skies; 

And all that's best of dark and bright 

Meet in her aspect and her eyes: 

Thus mellowed to that tender light 

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.   
  


One shade the more, one ray the less, 

Had half impaired the nameless grace 

Which waves in every raven tress, 

Or softly lightens o'er her face; 

Where thoughts serenely sweet express 

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.   
  


And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, 

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 

The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 

But tell of days in goodness spent, 

A mind at peace with all below, 

A heart whose love is innocent!" 

As he read she toyed with the pendant she had given him shortly before the Dragon's Blood incident in India. Jessie carefully opened it and saw a picture of his Mother, then noticed the other image. Her eyes went wide. The other person he carried close to his heart was her. She remembered having posed for that shot, he had called it payment for having startled and then dared him to pose himself. 

Her heart suddenly pounded harder as she realized how much he truly cared for her. She snuggled closer to him at this and sighed blissfully, returning her attention to the poem. "I always did like Lord Byron's poems." Then she thought a moment with a slight smile. "Is that what you meant this morning when you said, 'The smiles that win'?" 

His blue eyes twinkled dreamily at her in the flickering fire light before he placed a tender, lingering kiss on her temple as his hand moved to play with a lock of her long, fiery hair. It wasn't verbal, but it was enough of an answer for her. 

She smiled and turned a page. 

"O, were I loved as I desire to be! 

What is there in the great sphere of the earth, 

Or range of evil between death and birth, 

That I should fear, -- if I were loved by thee?   
  


All the inner, all the outer world of pain, 

Clear love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine; 

As I have heard that somewhere in the main 

Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.   
  


'T were joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee, 

To want for death - mute - careless of all ills, 

Apart upon a mountain, though the surge 

Of some new deluge from a thousand hills   
  


Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge 

Below us, as far on as eye could see." 

Jessie felt him shudder suddenly as his arm tightened around her shoulders, joined by his other arm to hold her close. She laid her cheek flat against his chest and listened to the sounds of his heart beating. She heard his breath shudder silently. "What's wrong, Jonny?" came her soft inquiry. 

"That last poem... It's just... It reminded me of the time we were in California." 

A look of horror past over her face as she backed up, a hand covering her mouth. "Oh, God! Jonny, I'm so sorry--" 

He quickly silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "Shh, Jessie." and then claimed her lips ever so tenderly to silence her further. She succumbed and banished her previous thoughts from her mind. Then, releasing her, he looked deep into her eyes. "You can't help what happened back then. There's always going to be something that'll remind me, or you, of that incident." 

Jessie smiled sadly, lowering her eyes in defeat as his hands found her waist. "It's just... I care about you a lot, and I hurt you so much over the years when I never really wanted to..." 

He knew how hard it was for her to say this. In the little time that their relationship had bloomed they had rarely if ever told each other their true feeling. _I love you_, were rare words. 

He pulled her into his arms, stroking her head as it rested on his shoulder. "Comes with the territory, Lovely Lady. Look..." and, still holding her close, he opened the book to where the magnolia lay pressed. He carefully moved it aside to reveal Doctor Quest's carefully scripted writing. "He wrote this to Mom when they had just started dating: 

> '_Love. It can make you feel the greatest joy and the deepest pain. It can bring a smile to your face or tears to your eyes. Love leads you on a journey of discovery, to places you never imagined. It can possess you and make you powerless to deny its existence. Touched by love, your life will change forever. How could I ever have known that I would fall in love so deeply, so painfully, with the one woman who could make me feel free and alive. From the first moment we kissed, my heart and soul belonged to her, and hers to me. Poets and wordsmiths through the ages have told the tale of the power of love shared, the joy of its passion and the pain of yearning when true love is denied._'" 

As he read, Jessie felt an electric thrill race up her spine. He had read the words as if they had been his own, seemingly putting his heart and emotions behind each and every word. He paused for a moment. "Pain is unavoidable, Dad knew it." 

"Your Dad was a poet... and in love." 

Jonny looked up to the painting of his Mother above the fireplace. She wore a powder blue dress that nearly matched the piercing blue of her eyes. The artist had captured the gold of her hair and every loving and tender light that he remembered shining in his Mother's face. "Can you blame him?" 

She followed his gaze. "No, I guess not." she answered after a moment. "She was so beautiful, like an angel. I'm sorry." 

He shrugged and smiled at a sudden thought. "_I hope the man upstairs isn't mad at me,... 'cause I have one of his angels and she's here with me..._" he sang softly. 

She tapped his chest with a giggle. "Smooth talker." she accused sweetly. Then the front entrance doorbell rang through the house. "Who could that be at this hour?" she wondered aloud as he moved towards the hall. 

He shrugged as he got to his feet, went to the door, and opened it. A little raven tressed girl jumped into his arms, hugging him so tight he could barely breath. He pushed her away and suddenly recognized the face. "Mica!?" He then thought to look up and saw Doug Sanderson standing there with a wide, anxious grin. Doug had been the organizer of a camp for troubled children, children who needed time away from home to build character and definition. Jessie and Jonny had volunteered one summer two years ago to help him out which resulted in their being trapped in California during an earthquake and flood, away from civilization. He had several bags in his arms. "Doug! What's up?" 

"I have to go into Montreal tonight on business. I can't take Mica with me on this one and I was hoping...?" 

Jonny dismissed the rest of the sentence with a wave of his hand. "Sure, we'll take her." he assured. 

"You sure your Dad won't mind, Jonny?" 

"Nah, Dad likes Mica. Don't worry about it." 

"You know you're a life saver, kiddo?" and he deposited the bags in the hall and headed back to his car. 

"So I'm told." Jonny had followed him, Mica was still in his arms. 

"I'll be back sometime tomorrow night." 

"Okay. See you then." 

And, with a final wave at his Daughter, Doug drove off. Jonny put Mica on the ground and signaled the five year old child to be extremely silent as he led her towards the family room. He motioned for her to stay in the shadows. He stepped into the doorway. 

"Who was that?" Jessie asked, looking up from the book. 

"A guest." and he beckoned to the little girl. 

This one ran out from around the corner and jumped into Jessie's lap. "Jessie!" she cried joyfully. 

Surprised at first, Jessie happily wrapped the small form in her arms. "Mica! What are you doing here?" she laughed as Mica tugged at her hair. 

"Daddy had to go on a trip so he said I could stay here with you and Jonny." 

"I'm very happy to hear it." As the two laughed Jonny went off to one of the bookcases and pulled a battered old book from the shelf. Jessie could see the title as he walked back to them. It was a book of children's literature. She smiled. "Another of your Mom's favorite books?" 

He smiled sheepishly. "Sort of. She used to read something from this one every night. Scoot over." She did so, allowing him to sit in the chair, then leaned back against him comfortably. Mica shifted so she sat across both their laps, also leaning on Jonny. He sighed. "I must have done something right to have two lovely angels like this." he quipped. Jessie turned and ever so gently kissed his lips. Little Mica sat up, seeing this, and gave Jonny a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek. This caused Jessie to laugh, mostly from Jonny's bewildered expression. "What did you do that for?" 

"Jessie did it." 

He laughed. "Monkey see, monkey do, right?" Mica nodded with a giggle. "Alright, then. So, Mica, what story do you want to hear?" he asked when he recovered. 

"Sleeping Beauty!" the little girl exclaimed. 

He looked down at Jessie. "Why is it they all want to hear that one." 

"All little girls dream of their Prince to come and save them. I found mine." and she caressed his cheek. 

He chuckled. "You want to read it, or do I?" 

"Oh, you read it. You have the voice for it." she pleaded with doe eyes. 

His smile became dreamy. "Never could resist those eyes." 

"I know." she admitted playfully. 

* * * 

"I swear, Benton, if that thing had malfunctioned one more time I would have personally thrown it out the window." Race grumbled as he, Doctor Quest, and Hadji entered the house. 

"I would've probably joined you in that endeavor, Race. Hadji, why don't you go off to bed. You look exhausted." Hadji left without question. 

"Hey, Doc, were you expecting company?" the ex-Covert Operations Officer pointed out, showing the bags next to the door. 

"No, I..." He passed the entrance to the family room and suddenly stopped. "Oh, my!" he breathed. 

"What?" and he joined him in the door. In a reclined chair was a grinning Jonny, looking very content. Jessie was snuggled in his arms, a dreamy look in her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. And, wrapped in both their arms, was a small black haired girl who was presently dozing ever so peacefully against Jonny's chest and whom Jessie was gently stroking her long black hair. "Ponchita?" 

Jessie looked up at the two adults and placed a finger to her lips to silence them. "Shh. She's asleep." Race pointed to the girl with a puzzled look etched into his features. "Michaela Sanderson." 

"What's she doing here?" he whispered. 

"Doug asked us to watch her while he was in Montreal. He'll be back tomorrow night." Jonny whispered back. 

"I'll take her to the guest room." Jessie told him. They got to their feet and he gently handed Mica's sleeping form over to her. Both Race and Benton were shocked at how parental they acted towards the small child. As he watched Benton wondered sadly if he was seeing a tiny hint of both teens future as parents of their own children. Mica whined at the shifting and came awake slightly. "Shh, Mica, it's okay. Go back to sleep. I'll sing to you, okay?" The little girl nodded tiredly and closed her eyes, sucking her thumb as she once again began to doze off to sleep. 

"I'll bring her stuff up to you in a bit." 

Jessie nodded at him and walked off, cradling the small child close to herself. She slowly climbed the stairs, careful as not to wake the sleeping child, able to hear their Fathers and Jonny talking in the Family Room. She thought she heard one of them, probably her Father, question him what all three of them had been doing in the same chair in the first place, but she quickly dismissed the thought as she reached the second floor. She entered one of the many guest rooms and comfortably set Mica on the bed after managing to turn down the covers with a free arm. She hoped the blankets on the bed were warm enough. There was a thin cotton blanket, a slightly thicker wool blanket, and a thick comforter. Mica shifted to get comfortable, her tiny eyes opening to look up at Jessie. Something came alive in Jessie, an almost Motherly instinct, at the way Mica stared up at her. It surprised her. For a second, a corner of her mind wondered what Jonny's reaction might have been to this given situation. 

"Sing me a song, Jessie." little Mica mumbled in a tiny voice that made Jessie's heart feel warm. 

Jessie just smiled. 

"Listen to the song he sings 

Can't you see his music brings her 

Crystal sleep 

As her heavy eyelids fall 

He's taking her to where the dolls rule the world 

And in that land of make believe 

Is where he'll leave her sleeping 

Softly warm 

In a crystal lullaby 

He's weaving her a paper castle 

Where dancing clowns with tassels made of fur 

Welcome her into their world 

That lives inside the dreams 

Of every little girl 

She's guarded by a brave tin soldier 

Sitting on her shoulder 

Taken there 

In a crystal lullaby 

Sometimes when I listen to 

The velvet song that fills a summer afternoon 

Something deep within me sighs 

And wishes for the peaceful skies of long ago 

That wrapped my cares 

In silver air 

And carried them away 

Leaving me 

And a crystal lullaby 

And a crystal lullaby" 

When Jessie looked down again she found Mica sleeping soundly, sucking at her thumb. She looked so tiny, so peaceful, without a care in the world. Jessie kind of wished she was that age again as she carefully brushed a stray strand out of the child's face, careful not to wake her. "I remember that song." came a soft voice from the door. Jonny was there, setting the bags down at the foot of the bed. 

She smirked. "I especially remember the conversation we had afterwards, each other's thoughts about kids and each other." 

"Hey, we learned of few things about each other." 

"True, but we had to dig to find the real meanings. Everything we said had been so _cloak and dagger_." 

He shrugged. "We make mistakes we regret after. Should we put her in her PJ's?" 

"No, she's already asleep. No sense waking her up again for that." She removed the sleeping child's small shoes, covered her with the blankets, and then just stared down at her with a strange smile on her face, unable to bring herself to leave. 

He saw the smile and came over to take her shoulders, giving them a tender squeeze. "You okay?" 

"Yes. I'm just day dreaming." 

"Let me guess: You with a kid of your own." She smiled shyly and he chuckled. "C'mon, _Mommy_, let her sleep." and he led her out the door, closing it behind him. "So how often do you end up thinking about stuff like that?" 

"At least once a day. I can't help it... Everyone our age we know have kids and--" 

"Jess." His tone held a warning. 

"I know." She sighed heavily and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "I guess, for now, the closest I'll ever get to being a Mother is being with Mica." 

He leaned back on the wall, lacing his fingers with hers to pull her towards him. "But, the other way can be arranged." he stated playfully. 

She giggled softly and tenderly pressed her lips to his as he brought their hands to rest on the small of her back. She snuggled her face to the side of his neck, picking up a hint of his aftershave. "Would have made a Hell of a Birthday present for you a few days ago. But, not for a while yet. Someday." she added. Jessie felt him nod in understanding, his arms tightening around her. With a silent sigh she placed a kiss on the side of his neck, gently nuzzling that spot with her face. "What did I ever do to deserve someone as great as you, so understanding and patient about all this?" she breathed. 

"I've been asking myself the same question about you every day for the last two years." 

She smirked. "Cliché." 

He shrugged. "If it fits..." 

* * * 

Morning came quickly with its frigid air and golden Autumn light. Hadji had risen early, deciding to get a head start on raking up the fallen leaves. As the sun steadily crept higher in the sky he had managed to collect a sizeable pile in one of the Quest Compound's many clearings. He gave one more sweep of the rake just as he began to hear a dog barking and the shrieking of a little child. Hadji looked up in time to see his neat pile of leaves suddenly explode in all directions. In the center of the chaos he saw a tiny raven haired girl laughing playfully. Bandit, Jonny's pet Bull Terrier, ran in circles around them both. Short moments later both Jonny and Jessie came running into the clearing to find their friend smiling patiently down at the child who had caused such a mess of his work. They looked genuinely apologetic towards him. 

"Sorry about that, Hadj." Jonny stated. 

"That is quite alright, my friend. I was presently debating what to do with the piles when I had finished. Her idea seems to be the easiest, if not more amusing, of all the ones I found." and Mica threw a armful of leaves up at him. His smile became mischievous as he dropped down on one knee and tossed leaves back at her. This went on for a few seconds more before she finally shrieked and threw her arms around Hadji's neck. He stood up with her in his arms. 

"Looks like you passed her test, Hadji." Jessie chuckled. 

"Test?" 

"Jessie and I went through it the first time we met her. Mica can read a person's personality at ten feet." 

Hadji turned to the child. "So, your name is Mica. That is a very pretty name. I am Hadji." 

"Had-ji." she giggled experimentally. She then wriggled out of his arms, grabbing an armful of leaves, and ran up to where Jessie and Jonny stood. Without any warning she threw the leaves at them and ran back to the pile. "Play!" she laughed. 

The duo were still picking leaves away from their faces before turning to the child, playful mischief in their eyes. "Oh, you're gonna get it now." Jonny's voice was low, but the merry gleam in his eye had moved to inhabit his tone. They charged at the child, attacking with a flurry of flying leaves. 

Hadji looked down at Bandit who merely sat watching the action, tongue lolling out and tail wagging. "It seems we are the two sane ones here, Bandit." He turned back to the romping trio who were presently engaged in a vicious leaf battle. He shook his head sadly. "Come, I will fix us something to eat while they play." The dog barked in understanding and trotted along behind the young Indian man. 

With Mica's help Jessie pinned Jonny on his back and dumped an armful of leaves in his face. He struggled against Jessie's grip until Mica climbed onto his chest. He raised her up in the air, holding her above himself. "Who's side are you on, anyway, you little imp?" 

"The one that's more fun." the little girl replied. 

"Traitor!" he laughed. When he put her down again she took off at a run after a raccoon that had showed itself. Jessie kneeled behind him. Jonny watched Mica go with a shake of his head. "Where does she get that energy?" 

"I have no idea. Too bad it's not catching." 

"Might be." He turned quickly, grabbing her arms, and flipped her over him to pin her on her back in the pile of leaves. "What say we find out." She laughed as she mock struggled against his grip, then she smiled at something just past his shoulder. A huge amount of leaves fell, nearly burying them both. They shot to their feet and began chasing the girl around the Compound. 

* * * 

It was September 17th, almost 11:00 PM. Jessie walked down the dark street, holding her thin jacket tight around herself in an attempt to keep out the cold. She had just left her friends at the coffee shop, heading back to the movie theater where her ride would be waiting. Silently she chided herself for wearing the outfit she had on, a simple green velvet dress with a light black vest, but she had so few opportunities to wear it. She knew she should have worn a jacket to block out this cold, but it had been so warm earlier that she had opted against the idea. 

Hanging out with her girlfriends was fun on occasion, but right now she was in the mood for different company, company of the male persuasion. As far as she could tell she was alone on this street. Her inch high boot heels clicked on the sidewalk in a regular rhythm. 

Then another sound caught her ear. Another set of footfall, behind her. Slight fear crept up her spine. She quickened her pace and the footsteps quickened as well. Jessie took a left turn, they followed. Then a right. Still they followed. Panic sprang up in her as she began to run. Turning another corner, her heart pounding madly, she ran into a leather jacket covered chest. A pair of arms closed around her as she tried to back away. Finally she looked up into a smiling face with gleaming blue eyes she recognized easily. She sighed in utter relief. 

"Hey, there, Jessie." Jonny Quest greeted, slightly confused. 

"Oh, thank God, Jonny." and she pressed herself into his warm arms gratefully, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

He cradled her body close to himself, confused and worried by her actions. "What's wrong?" he demanded, peering into her calming features. 

The concern on his face was comforting to her. "I'm not sure. I heard footsteps behind me. Call me paranoid, but I think someone was following me." 

He smirked. "Okay, you're paranoid." She laughed, relaxing further. "Wait here." Casually he walked out from around the corner and saw only one person, dressed in dark clothing, leaning against a wall not far away. He recognized this person immediately. It was Craig Waller, a snobby and rich Quarterback, at Rockport High School, who was still chasing after Jessie's affections. "Kind of late to just be hanging out alone, Craig." he greeted suspiciously. 

Craig seemed slightly surprised, but hid it quickly. "Not when you've seen the cutest little thing on the face of the Earth. Lost track of her." he stated. 

"Yeah? What's she look like, maybe I can help you find her." 

"Sweetest thing wearing a hot little green dress and a black vest." 

Jonny frowned, suddenly furious. "Bastard!" he hissed, throwing a hard punch to Craig's stomach and then knocking him to the ground. 

Craig struggled to regain his breath, looking up at Jonny in confusion. "What'd you do that for?" he wheezed. Jessie stepped out from around the corner to take Jonny's arm in restraint. Craig's face dropped as he realized the description he had given matched exactly what she was wearing. "Oh, man." he muttered. He had been caught. 

"That was a warning, Craig. If I so much as hear of another incident like this or if she says she doesn't feel safe walking alone anymore, I'll come looking for you. And I don't care if it's not you doing the stalking because I'll know you're behind it. I'll hunt you down for as long as it takes." Then, putting his arm around Jessie's shoulders, he led her back to his black Kawasaki motorcycle. From the compartment under the seat he pulled out an extra helmet and her bomber jacket, the latter of which he helped her put on. 

"You know I don't like this _shrinking violet_ treatment." she told him. 

"I know, just like you know I have the _white knight_ syndrome. Can't help it, I care too much." 

"I know." She placed a hand on his helmet to keep him from putting it on just yet. "I appreciate it, though." 

Craig watched from the corner, seething as he saw her touch Jonny's cheek and draw him into a loving kiss. Then they both climbed onto the bike and sped off into the September night. 

* * * 

October came and with it the Indian Summer. At Rockport High School, day was progressing like usual. It was Second Period and both Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon were in the only class they shared, History. Since they started high school they had always been in the same History class. This was their second to last year at Rockport High. Class ended and everyone filed out. Jessie waited for her friend by the door where, when he reached her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So what's your next class?" she asked over the sound of the crowd, holding him around his waist. 

A few other students waved at them and he waved back. "Spare. My next two classes were canceled. Ms. Kenneli's on sick leave and Mr. Tedgewick's wife is in the hospital giving birth. I think they're having triplets." 

"Ouch. Good luck to them. Cafeteria?" 

"Sure, but don't you have Physics?" and they began walking. 

"Not when the flu bug runs rampant. My next two classes were canceled too." 

A sly smile crossed his face. "Three and a half hours before we can go home. Whatever shall we do?" 

"Maybe figure out what we'll wear on Friday." 

Friday was October thirtieth, the day before Halloween, and the day of the Halloween Dance. They entered the nearly empty cafeteria and sat at a secluded table in a corner, sitting close to each other's side. "I actually have a great idea for that. Who do we resemble the most?" 

"I... don't quite follow you." 

"Oh, come now, dear Lady Caroline." 

Her face brightened, suddenly understanding him. "Jonny, that perfect!" 

"I thought so. Dad has some stuff in the attic that could work for our costumes." 

She leaned on his shoulder, giving his cheek a quick peck. As they discussed details for Friday Jessie glanced around the cafeteria. This room would be transformed in three days time for the Halloween dance at which point it would be closed. At the door she caught sight of who was termed _the School's Beauty Queen_, Maya Vernessa. She wore a loose fitting, silk white blouse, a tight, leather mini skirt, sheer tights and high heels. Her corn silk hair was brushed elegantly down her back. Then she turned, frowned at Jessie, but began walking towards them as she noticed it was Jonny she was sitting with. "Uh, oh." Jessie muttered. 

"What?" he asked her. 

"Maya just walked in." 

"So?" 

"You haven't heard the latest skinny, have you?" He gave her a puzzled frown in response. "She thinks you're just _yummy_." she smiled. 

"What!?" 

She leaned back in her chair with a short laugh. "It's all over the school. She's set her sights on you and she's packing a nuclear warhead missile launcher with a heat seeker. She won't back down until she gets you." 

His head dropped down to the table with a thud. "She's the world's biggest snob! Somebody help me." he moaned as she chuckled. 

"Don't look now, but she's heading this way." 

He snapped upright, turning to grab Jessie's hands. "Save me, please, and I'll be your slave for life, Jess." 

"You already are." she chuckled as Maya kept coming purposefully towards them. Then she sighed blissfully, losing herself in his eyes. "I never could resist those baby blues." 

He smiled and felt himself drowning in the emerald green of her bright eyes. "You're a lifesaver, Beautiful." 

She shrugged and again leaned on his shoulder. "I try." 

Maya walked up to them, sat sultrily on the edge of the table to reveal as much leg as possible to Jonny, and gave him a sweet smile. "Jonny, what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" she purred. 

"I'm with Jessie." he replied curtly, not looking at Maya. He was too engrossed in Jessie's eyes to notice anything else. 

"Oh! Hello, Bannon." Icicles could have hung from her words. 

_Man, if tone of voice could kill._ "Hi, Maya. Jonny and I were just talking about the dance on Friday." She, too, had not left Jonny's eyes. 

"Really, what a coincidence! Jonny, I was just going to ask you if you were going to the dance and had a date for Friday, if not--" 

"Jessie and I are going together." he cut off, still lost in Jessie's eyes. 

Maya looked taken back as she got to her feet and Jessie couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. No one ever said no to Maya Vernessa. It was rumored that all the men in the male related sports belonged to her, except Jonny Quest. He was the only one to have ever said no, repeatedly, to her advances. His reason had been that Maya was just too perky, too sluttish, to go out with. Besides, he was steadily working up his courage to ask Jessie out. In some perverse way Maya found his rejections extremely... _arousing_. Maya shook herself out of her momentary shock. She wasn't going to give up so easily. "I don't believe you. Giving up the chance to go as _my_ date to go with _her_?" 

Jonny reluctantly pulled away from the emerald depths of Jessie's eyes, gave Maya a suffering stare, and tenderly cupped Jessie's chin in his hand. "Maya, get a clue." and he claimed Jessie's lips in a gentle embrace. It had been intended just to get Maya uninterested in him, but he completely lost himself in the feel of the kiss. Jessie's hand found his cheek, caressing it gently. He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. "You've had M&Ms." he quipped, just loud enough for Maya to hear. 

Jessie giggled in understanding. "And you've had licorice." and he chuckled. 

He looked up at a stunned Maya as Jessie nuzzled his ear. "You still here?" he stated coldly. He had to clear his throat before saying this, still under the kiss's influence. 

She looked as if she was struggling for some sort of come-back line, but Jessie's cruel sense of humor beat her to it. "I believe she was just leaving." and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Maya, stunned for a moment, made a dejected sound and walked briskly away. The duo couldn't help but laugh hysterically, doubling over breathlessly. "That look was priceless. Oh, I wish I had a picture." 

They laughed for long moments more before finally sobering. "So," he struggled. "Exactly what kind of slave do you need?" 

"Mmm, I don't know." She wrapped her arms around his neck lovingly once again. "I think a love slave would do nicely." she murmured. 

"I think I can do that." he smiled. Their lips met again and the whole world around them melted away into a hazy mist. 

"You two ever coming up for air?" came a sudden voice through the haze. 

They pulled apart rather quickly and turned to the voice. A frizzy haired, brown eyed girl, dressed in an outfit that should have been reserved for Halloween, smiled slyly at them from across the table. "Didn't think we had an audience, Crysta." Jonny muttered with a grin. 

"One person hardly counts as an audience, Blondie." she replied. "What happened, the flirting got out of hand?" 

Jessie giggled. "You could say that." 

"It started two years back, but we only really got together two months ago. Crys, you know how insomniac I can be sometimes, right?" Jonny began. 

"I remember you telling me to explain the lines under those baby blues, yeah." 

"Well, about two months ago it happened again. Spending time on the IRC wasn't helping so I went out for a jog around the Compound." 

"At 1:30 in the morning." Jessie added. "I heard the noise and went out. Before I knew it I was being tackled in the mud." 

"I didn't see it was you. I'm making up for it." 

She nuzzled his cheek lovingly. "You certainly are." she almost purred. 

He chuckled, leaning into her arms. "Anyway, to make a long story short; we ended up playing a game of mud tag, that got out of hand, and, well..." 

"Kismet." Jessie concluded. 

Crysta couldn't hide the pleasantly surprised look that spread across her face. "So, it's finally gotten serious between you two?" 

"What do you mean, _finally_?" he demanded. 

"Exactly what I said. Finally. Look, only total morons or infatuated dimwits haven't noticed how much of an item you two are. I mean, is there really anyone that dumb left in the school?" 

Jonny answered with a question. "You didn't see what happened a little while ago, did you?" he grinned. 

"No, what?" 

Jessie could barely contain her laughter as the scene replayed in her mind. "Jonny turned down Maya Vernessa." 

"Get out! Oh, man, I would've killed to see the look on her face." 

"It was priceless, pure gold." 

"And I missed it! Arrgh!" and she put her head down in mock anguish only to raise it again suddenly. "Guess there are dumb people left. What are you two wearing for the dance, to change subject here?" 

Jessie laughed at her abruptness. "Do you know the legend of Lady Caroline Mornay and Jean Leger?" 

"High society lady takes a flying leap from a Widow's Walk 'cause her fiancé drowned at sea. Yeah, I know it." 

"That's not how it happened." Jonny corrected. "Jean Leger didn't drown at sea. Lady Caroline drowned him in a pond." 

"What? Why?" 

"She found a letter he wrote to a mainland shop girl named Marie." Jessie explained. "In a fit of jealous rage she killed him, but his ghost began haunting her. He even went so far as to push her off the Widow's Walk out of revenge. They went on, reliving their last moments, for the past two hundred years." 

"Wait a minute, this is completely different than the official story. Where'd you get this version?" 

Jessie and Jonny turned their heads slightly to smile at each other in a knowing manner. Jonny chuckled at the vivid memory. "You could say we got first hand experience." 

Crysta still looked puzzled. "I still don't get it." 

Jessie sighed heavily. "Your next two classes are spares, right?" Crysta nodded and Jessie turned to Jonny. "Taking her to Mornay House would explain everything." 

He was already getting to his feet. "I'm up for it. Maybe we'll get more ideas for our costumes." All three walked out of the school to the sleek, black Viper GTX waiting in the student parking lot. Jonny was driving. A few minutes of ice smooth driving later they arrived at a Colonial-style manor house surrounded by a fairly large yard inside a wrought iron fence and gate. Beautifully ornate corniches and wooden terrace banisters decorated the exterior of the house. The first floor was lined with large bay windows, the second had ornate circular windows. Everything was painted a brilliant white. They got out of the car, Jonny coming to stand by Jessie's side. "Déjà vu." he voiced softly, staring at the house. 

She nodded. "A lot of good memories here." she added and the three began walking towards the front door. A small bell jingled above it as the entered, signaling the caretaker that the house had visitors. This one walked into view and caused both Jessie and Jonny to smile, pleasantly surprised. "Doug Sanderson? What're you doing here?" 

He smiled happily at them. "I run this place in the winter. Mica's in school now so I needed something to keep me busy during the day. And you three?" 

"We're trying to explain to Crysta Robertson, here, a new version of the Mornay/Leger legend." Jonny replied. 

"Your own speculation?" he asked as he led them towards the house's drawing room. 

"Not _exactly_. More like, the real story as lived by Lady Caroline and Jean Leger." 

They entered the drawing room to find a fire blazing brightly in the stone fireplace. Doug looked around the Victorian furnished room and frowned in confusion. "I never lit the fire in this room." he voiced. 

Jonny looked perplexed at this. "Is there anyone else here with you?" 

"No... well, except them." and he pointed to a large oil painting above the fireplace. 

The painting, framed in mahogany wood, was of a young couple wrapped lovingly in each other's arms. The woman wore an elegant, yet simple, dress of powder grey with a high white lace collar, decorated by a Camée, and white lace cuffs. Her long red hair hung down the length of her back. The man wore a light brown suit of the Eighteenth Century with silk ruffles at his collar, held by a ruby broach, and silk ruffles at his cuffs. His blond hair seemed to glow from an unseen light. His arms were wrapped around the woman's waist, and a large engraved signet ring was on his right hand. Leger was what could be read. They looked young, roughly in their late teens, and made a handsome couple. A pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes seemed to bore through the souls of those in the room. 

Crysta and Doug's eyes flashed from the painting to the young duo next to them and back in surprised, rapid succession. There was no mistaking the resemblance. 

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Doug muttered softly. 

"Blondie, Chica, it's... it's you!" 

They merely shrugged a smile. 

"How long have you two known about this?" 

"It's been two years. Kind of ran into some confused souls." Jonny answered. 

Doug frowned, obviously intrigued. "Please, explain." 

"Alright, but everything said here stays here. Hadji's the only other person who knows about all this because he was there. Our Dads don't even know." 

"And we'd like to keep it that way for a while yet." Jessie added. 

"Hey, you two know the worth of my word." Crysta stated. 

"Secret sworn to my grave." Doug added. 

Jonny nodded and went to stand next to the fireplace as Jessie sat in a nearby chair. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and turned to his friends. "About two years back Hadji, Jess, and I took a trip up to Nova Scotia in the _Questor II_, Dad's new ship. In the Bay of Fundy we hit a pretty heavy patch of fog where we hit some rocks. The nav computers were all down and we sustained minor damage." 

"That's where we met Paul Mornay." Jessie continued. "He welcomed us on the island and into his home and explained that the island we were on was haunted by two spirits, Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. For the time we were there we saw the ghost of Ruby, her kitten, and the ghost of Lady Caroline throw herself from the Widow's Walk twice. And I saw the ghost of Jean Leger in a nearby pond when I was chasing Bandit. We decided we would try to record the happenings for Doctor Quest and that's when _things_ started to happen." 

Crysta had seated herself on the floor, listening in avid attention. "What things?" she asked. 

"I found, with Lady Caroline's help, some letters Jean Leger had written her from the mainland. I remember seeing a bright flash and then I wasn't in control of myself anymore. I was Lady Caroline and I was running for the Widow's Walk, screaming in fear." 

"I got to her before she could jump off, but I guess the sight of me spooked Lady Caroline. She called me Jean and ran off. Hadji and I had no idea that this wasn't Jessie anymore until we saw the tape. We could clearly see Lady Caroline's form surrounding her. We also found the letters and I guess I'd stuck one in my pocket without noticing. We lost sight of her at about that time. Hadji found a portrait of Jean Leger in what was the house's studio and showed it to us. I got to admit the resemblance still spooks me. We split up to find Jessie before she could go back to the Widow's Walk. I followed Bandit to a pond where she showed up, accusing me as if I were Jean. Turns out the letter I had grabbed was addressed to Marie, a mainland shop girl. Hoping to calm her down I did what I hoped Jean would do, I denied everything." 

"But Lady Caroline was jealous. She forced me to lunge at him, we fought, and ended up in the pond where she tried to get me to drown him. If Hadji hadn't shown up I probably would have. That's what happened two hundred years ago. She drowned him. Hadji pulled Jonny towards the shore just in time to see the ghost of Jean Leger come up from the pond. He possessed Jonny and we continued to fight as Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. Hadji tried to reason with us, along with Paul Mornay. At first Caroline forced me to turn away, so Jonny..." She shook her head. "... Jean walked away. I could feel a great guilt in Lady Caroline's spirit, so suddenly, and she got me to stop him, turning him around to face her." 

"She explained that she'd been insanely jealous because she loved him so much, and still did. Using us they asked forgiveness of each other. Then they kissed." 

Doug's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second. If they were still in you when they kissed then that means..." 

Jessie smiled at Jonny. "That we ended up kissing. The spirits left and I still regret having pushed you away when I realized what we were doing." He tenderly gripped her shoulders and she rubbed her cheek to the back of one of his hands. She then turned back to her friends. "That's when we found out Paul was also a ghost, as was the entire island. We saved our gear and got back to the boat just before everything vanished. Our watches hadn't registered any elapse of time and our tape was blank. I had the _My Dearest Marie_ letter in my hand, but a gust of wind stole it away. We had no proof that any of it had happened except what we had seen and experienced." 

"We decided it was best to not mention anything of this adventure to our Fathers and keep it to ourselves the best we could. Now you know the real truth." 

Doug rubbed his lower lip thoughtfully. "No one knows about the existence of Paul Mornay except for those who've read Jean Leger's journals. He was Caroline's youngest nephew." He looked up to the painting and noticed how the paint seemed to glow in the afternoon light. He frowned. The more he watched the more it seemed to glow. He began to back away suddenly when he realized two glowing forms were emerging from it. Crysta leapt to her feet with a shout, going to hide behind Doug. Having received a sensation from the phenomenon Jessie and Jonny held their ground. The feeling had been extremely familiar. Jessie stood and gripped Jonny's arm. The two forms stopped in front of them and began to slowly take shape. Within a few heartbeats the forms were clearly defined and a smile crossed the faces of the two teens. "Lady Caroline and Jean Leger!" Doug breathed in awe. The ghostly duo turned to smile at him, then returned their attention to the two adolescents. 

Lady Caroline reached out a pale hand to lay a cold, feather like touch on Jessie's cheek. Jean Leger, for his part, held Jonny's shoulder in a tight, frigid grip. The unspoken question was all too clear to the two teens. Then looked to each other, then turned back to nod at the spirits. Doug and Crysta could only watch as the spirits stepped forward, towards their still friends, and seemed to melt into their bodies. Momentarily their eyes closed as a period of adjustment seemed to occur. When their eyes opened again they glowed with a new and spiritual energy. They filled their lungs deeply, looked down at their hands, then smiled at each other. 

"Two years since I have felt truly _real_." came a voice from Jonny that wasn't his own. "And two years since I have seen you through these eyes, dear Caroline. This Miss Jessica Bannon looks so much like you." 

"Ah, Jean. Always speaking with a silver tongue." Her voice had also changed. "But I must admit the resemblance of Mister Jonathan Quest to you is remarkable as well. This is strange and most pleasant at the same time." She reached out and touched his cheek in a gentle glide. They both laughed at the almost new, half remembered sensation. 

"Lady Caroline? Mister Leger?" The duo turned to the voice. It was Doug. He looked suddenly shocked at their immediate response to the names. "It really is you?" 

"As close as we can get to being alive, Mister Sanderson." Jonny/Jean replied. "Mister Quest and Miss Bannon are most generous to allow us this moment of flesh after what happened at our first encounter." 

Doug nodded. "They told us what happened." 

During this Jessie/Caroline had begun examining the room, peeking into the hallway. "It's all the same." she breathed. 

Crysta followed her. "The... _Your_ house was made a landmark and was turned into a museum. Doug takes care of it in the Winter and someone else does this in the Summer." She suddenly shook her head in dismay. "I don't believe this! I see Jessie, but I hear your voice. This is just too wild." 

Doug looked at them both. "You said it had been two years. Why come back now, after so long?" 

"The need to apologize became overwhelming." Jonny/Jean explained. "We used them, without permission, and nearly killed them in the process. In life we were brought up to know better." 

"Also, we had a need to feel real again. This is our last chance before we cross over, permanently this time. What better way to do this than in those who resemble us the most. Our twins, if you will." 

"I... I have so many questions." Doug stammered. "How do I prove that what happened to you was the real story?" 

Jessie/Caroline smiled placidly. "Go to the bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor. The third wall panel left from the closet should be loose. There you will find my diary, with my confession and witness to my haunting by Jean. There is your proof." She looked around the room one more time with a reminiscing smile. "I wish to thank you, Mister Sanderson, for taking care of my family home so well. Everything is as I remember." 

"We tried our best. I'm glad it meets with your approval, Lady Caroline." 

"One favor, for us as well as our hosts." 

"Anything." 

"We have seen All Hallow's Eve become a day for children and masquerade." Jonny/Jean began. "We have heard of Mister Quest and Miss Bannon's wish to attend a ball dressed in our likeness. Please allow them the use of some of the clothing we have left behind. Our gifts to them, in apology." 

Jessie/Caroline laid a hand on his shoulder, a strange look on her face. "Jean, it's almost time." 

He took her hands. "One last look, from the gazebo." She smiled and they walked, hand in hand, towards the house's back door leading to the gardens. A painted white, ornate gazebo on which the remains of rose vines still hung stood in the middle of the gardens. They walked up to it and stepped under the vine covered roof. The sun was setting in the West, casting an orange light over the land and the Atlantic nearby. Doug and Crysta just watched from the back door. The possessed duo stood for a moment, watching the setting sun's light spread over the water like an orange dye, a thin line of black forming at the horizon. "This is one of the sights seen with real eyes I will miss the most." he sighed. 

Jessie/Caroline stepped closer to him. "One of the sights?" 

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "The other is you, My Lady. My beautiful Caroline." came his soft reply. 

She touched his cheek ever so tenderly. "And you, My Lord. I see you with eyes that are not mine and yet they look at you with love." she murmured. A silent tear traced a thin trail down her cheek. 

It brought tears to his eyes. "Do not cry, Beloved. We will still be together... forever." 

"I know, and that simple thought brings joy to my heart. A heart that belongs to you, Jean." 

"And mine to you, Caroline." The held each other tight for a moment, then pulled back just enough to claim each other's lips in a warm embrace. There was a bright flash from the duo as the transparent forms of Lady Caroline Mornay and Jean Leger began to float skyward, still locked in the embrace. Then they vanished, forever. 

Jessie and Jonny pulled apart, a slight moment of indecision passing between them as they readjusted, then smiled at each other as they realized what happened. He carefully wiped her tears away with a slight chuckle. "They did it to us again." 

"No complaints." she grinned. 

"Just a lot of tears." 

A weak chuckle escaped her throat. "Mostly hers, but you were crying too." and she wiped away the remains of tears on his cheeks as he gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "Think we'll ever be like them?" 

"What, ghosts?" 

She chuckled again. "No." 

"Then...?" He noticed her sweet smile, her ethereal green eyes glinting brightly in the sunset. A subtle connection between them occurred and he suddenly understood her question. "Oh." he smirked. "Aren't we already?" Then, "I mean, I know we don't say it often enough, but..." 

"I know... and I think it's time we said it more often." She took his hands and pressed the backs of them to her heart, standing close to him, close enough to feel his body heat. "Mom used to say that they're the hardest three words in the world to say, but we need to hear them every so often. They're essential for a relationship to work." She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. "I _really_ want this to work between us, Jonny." 

He smiled tenderly and kissed her hands. "It will. We'll make it work, Jessie. I promise you." 

Her smile became playful. "Wrong three words." 

He matched her smile. "Back at you, Beautiful." 

* * * 

Night fell, plunging the picturesque little town into a deep darkness. A deep thrumming sound came from the Rockport High School cafeteria. Inside the Halloween Dance was in full swing. Dressed in a silver, satin and silk evening gown, a white sash with gold print from shoulder to hip, and a gold and diamond crown on her head, Maya Vernessa stood with what could be best termed as her friends. It was a typical costume for Maya to wear; a Miss Universe Winner costume. 

"Yes, Ladies, tonight's the night it happens." she announced over the sound of the belting music. 

"Right, like he's ever going to change his mind. He and Bannon are too tight." 

"He won't be able to resist. Tonight I pull out all the stops. He's mine. If not, then I'll just have to find a way to get Bannon out of the picture one way or another, permanently, not matter how long it takes." 

"Hey, wow! Speak of the devil." one exclaimed. 

In the cafeteria doorway, dressed in the finest Mornay House could supply, were Jonny Quest as Jean Leger and Jessie Bannon as Lady Caroline Mornay. She wore a simple, powder grey dress of the Victorian era accentuated with lace frills at her neck and wrists. An elegant, blush colored Camée was at her throat. His suit was also of the Victorian era, light brown in color, with a ruffled collar and cuffs. A replica of the Leger ruby broach was at his collar and a replica of the Leger signet ring on his hand. Her arm was hooked with his and they were smiling lovingly at each other. 

"Whoa, he looks hot in that suit. And look how the guys are staring at her." 

"Oh, man, Maya, there's no way you'll be able to split those two up. Look at 'em." 

"Yeah, well, no one ever says no to Maya Vernessa." the Beauty Queen wanna be assured as she began to walk up to the duo. 

The night wore on to her many failed attempts to get Jonny's attention away from Jessie. He only had eyes for her. She reminded him of a foggy night on an island in the Bay of Fundy and of his Mother in a slight way. She had her spirit and sense of adventure. The duo danced all the slows, and retreated to the dark corners of the room during the faster ones. They snuggled and kissed tenderly during these moments. By midnight, tired of Maya's relentless pursuits and annoying interruptions, they left for the Quest Compound. Jonny, again, drove the car carefully as Jessie dozed peacefully in the passenger's seat. Driving along the cliff roads he risked a glance at his beloved _girlfriend_. A smile crept to his face as he realized that, if he lived to be a million, he would never be able to get over the fact that they were now a couple. It made his heart beat faster. She looked up and smiled, causing the rhythm of his heart to miss. _Oh, God! She's gorgeous. _"You tired?" he asked. 

"Not really." she sighed. She placed a gentle hand on his thigh. 

He chuckled at a thought. "So, what do you want to do tonight?" 

"You are so predictable, Jonathan Quest." she laughed, giving his leg a slight squeeze. "There's a monster movie marathon starting at one on channel forty." 

He chuckled again. "You up for an all-night movie marathon?" 

"Mmm, I'm up if your up for it?" 

"Well, I'm up if you're up." he retorted. 

"Don't start." 

"Got it." and they laughed. 

They drove through the Compound's main gate, it closing automatically behind them, and pulled up to the house. Immediately they noticed the lack of the mini van in one of the garages. "One of them must of gone into town." he voiced as he opened the passenger side door for her. Like the perfect gentleman he opened every door for her, thanked at every one by a gentle kiss on the cheek. They entered the abnormally quiet house. Jonny frowned. _Thought Race would be up waiting for us._ "Race?... Dad?... Hadji?..." No answer. Jessie dashed through the halls, looking for the others while Jonny went to the kitchen. There was an envelope stuck on the white fridge with both their names scrawled hastily on the front. He opened it and read the contents, a wash of relief coming over him as the note's contents sunk in. "Jess!" 

She came as fast as her skirts would allow. "Did you find them?" 

"No, but they're okay, just on a little trip to the Amazon. Seems our Dads and Hadj were called off on an Access O-37 case." 

She smiled, relieved. "Unsolvable by conventional means. For a minute there I thought they might have been kidnaped or something. Could have waited until we came back before leaving." She looked at the note and her eyes widened. "I noticed how you neglected to mention that they'd be gone for a few months." 

His smile became coy, playful. "Trusting, aren't they?" 

Catching on to his thoughts she began to back away towards the stairs, beaming impishly at him. "They certainly are, but watching a movie marathon is innocent enough." 

He advanced on her, blocking all other retreat, still smiling. "The movies are only part of tonight's _entertainment_." 

In a whirl of fabric and with the sound of laughter she spun around and raced up the stairs. He was close on her heels, laughing as well. She turned back to him when she reached her bedroom's door, holding her hands out to restrain him. "Down, Boy!" she chuckled. 

He pushed against the hands on his chest, still grinning. "Just thought you'd need help getting out of that dress." he cooed. 

"Oh, no, you don't. Just help me with the zipper and I'll do the rest... alone." 

He sighed in such an exaggerated act of surrender that she had to laugh. She turned her back to him, lifting her hair up to reveal the thin zipper along her spine. He smiled wickedly as he began to slowly undo the back of her dress, inter-spacing a soft kiss at every inch of flesh revealed. He was rewarded by hearing her gasp softly as her whole body trembled. 

Jessie stepped away to break the contact, holding the dress to her chest as she turned to smile at him. "I'll see you downstairs." she murmured. 

He winked and left for his room. There, he quickly changed into his cotton pyjamas, setting the loaned costume on a hanger with great care, and then went down to the Family Room, keeping the lights out. He stretched out on his back on the couch, using the universal remote to turn on the television to the right channel. As he watched the commercial previews from sponsors, Jonny heard Jessie enter the kitchen and open the fridge. She appeared behind the couch, dressed in a baggy pair of flannel pyjamas, handed him a can of pop, then stretched out on the couch's backrest. 

She first smiled down at him, then looked to the screen, at the first few scenes, and frowned. "This isn't a monster movie." she commented. 

"Psychological thriller. I think it's called _Cape Fear_, the nineties remake with Robert DeNiro." He reached up and took her pop can to place it on the low coffee table with his own. "Don't want you spilling it on me when you freak." he answered her frown. 

"I don't scare easy." 

"We'll see." The movie wore on, the tension building with each passing scene. Looking up he saw her staring intently at the screen, totally engrossed in the movie. Suddenly, Robert DeNiro's character seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Jessie yelped in surprise, lost her balance on the backrest, and fell forward onto Jonny's chest, coming face-to-face with him. He, in turn, yelped, recovered and smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hi, there." 

Her smile was apologetic. "Uh... Hi." 

"Don't scare easily, hun? Wouldn't have spilt your pop, hun?" he teased. 

"Okay, okay." She kneeled up, straddling his hips. "I was wrong, you were right." 

"Ah, my six favorite words." He let his hands rest on her thighs. "Say it again." 

She smirked. "Which part?" 

"The one about me being right." he grinned. 

Her smile became sultry as she brought her face down closer to his again. "You were right." she purred in her tenderest voice and gently kissed his lips. She pulled a bit back to smile down at him. "You were right." she repeated, her voice even softer, and held the kiss a little longer. His arms slipped around her waist when she pulled back again. Her voice softened even more. "You were r--" 

Their lips met again before she could finish, exploring each other's mouths hungrily. Unsure quite why Jessie's hands found the buttons of his pyjama's shirt and, in slow deliberation, began to undo each and every one. Still locked in the embrace Jonny managed a smile, allowing her to continue. Her hands spread the shirt open to reveal rosy tanned skin. He sat up just long enough to rid himself of it, then took her face between his hands to make the kiss last as long as possible. Breathless, she broke the embrace and sat up. His hands remained at her face, moving down her neck to the top-most button of her shirt. She watched his hands move with more gentleness than she had ever seen him use. One by one he undid the buttons and then sat up when he reached the last one. He eased her shirt back over her shoulders. She couldn't help but let her head loll back as he exposed her cream white flesh and the lace and silk of her bra as his lips skimmed the flesh of her throat. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, lost in her intense emotions at the feel of so much warm flesh in contact with her own. His lips found their way along the length of her throat down to the tender flesh of her chest and back to her shoulder. Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck, holding his face pressed to the side of her neck. He crushed her body in his arms. 

He breathed heavily in her hair, his voice a bare, strained whisper. "Oh, God, Jess, I want you so much." 

"Then, please, don't hold back." came her breathless, impassioned plea. 

"No!" he pulled back slightly to look at her face. "No." he continued more softly. "I can't... I... have too much respect for you... It's too soon." 

"No, it's not." She touched his cheek as he looked deep into her eyes and tightened his arms around her. She smiled sweetly and lightly kissed his lips. "Jonny?" 

"Hmm?" 

She opened her eyes to stare deep into the crystal blue depths of his own. He felt his heart stop painfully from the look she was giving him. Pure, unadulterated desire. "I want you too. Please, now." she pleaded. Jessie's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "Make love to me, Jonny." 

"I..." but her mouth closed atop of his to silence him. Letting himself fall back to his back, still locked in her embrace, he surrendered to the overwhelming sensations she was awakening in him. He wanted to caress her body and taste every inch of her. And how she wanted him to. In the haze he thought he could hear a dog begin to bark. His hands slid up the skin of her back, up to the clasps of her bra. Suddenly, a white mass came bounding into the room, hurdled through the air, and landed between them on Jonny's chest, barking madly. "Hey! Bandit!" 

With his tongue lolling out, bright eyes gleaming, the small dog looked at them both with his head cocked. Jessie couldn't help but laugh as she sat up. "You'd think Dad put him up to this." she quipped as she patted Bandit's head. 

Jonny chuckled. "Wouldn't put it past Race. Bandit, off." and the Pit Bull Terrier dropped heavily to the floor. Jonny looked up at Jessie with a resolute sigh, lacing his fingers with hers. "I really, _really_ want to... but we can't. Not for some time yet." 

She looked away in understanding. "Patience is not something I'm terribly good at." She met his eyes with a grin. "Neither are you, for that matter." 

He returned her grin. "But in this case I'll make the effort." He paused, choosing his words carefully, wanting to make his future intentions for the both of them plainly clear to her. "You are so beautiful, Jess. All of you. So I want _our_ first time to be extra special and worth the wait." 

"Flatterer." She suddenly caught on something he said. "_Our_ first time...?" She saw the twinkle in his eye and suddenly smiled in comprehension. "Oh. Is that a promise of things to come, Mr. Quest?" 

"What do you think, Miss Bannon?" 

"I think it is." 

"Then you're right." 

With a low giggle she bent down and tenderly claimed his lips in a warm embrace. "I love you." she breathed, admitting her feelings to him. 

"I love you, too." he replied, giving her his heart. He held her tight all through the movies, silently enjoying the feel of her skin pressed to his. Later, after retrieving their shirts, they retired to their separate rooms for the night. Jonny woke the next morning to the smell of breakfast being prepared in another part of the house. He dragged himself out of bed and trudged down the stairs to the kitchen. He caught sight of a clock as he passed. 9:20 A.M. He'd only gotten four hours of sleep. "Thought you'd be tired after last night, Jess." he announced as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. 

"What happened last night and who's this Jess?" came a voice that wasn't Jessie's. 

His eyes snapped wide open. A pudgy woman with greying rusty hair stood before the stove wearing a flowery dress and an apron. She grinned suspiciously at him, her black eyes twinkling. He just stared back, frozen in the doorway. At the table chuckled a dark haired teen dressed in a sweater and jeans. "Aunt Addie? Barry?" 

"Hey, Coz." the teen greeted. 

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around Jonny's shoulders from behind as a body molded itself to his back. "D'you make breakfast, Hot Shot?" Jessie murmured as she nuzzled her face near his ear. 

Jonny took her arms and pushed her away slightly. "Down, Ace, we have company." She looked at the two others in the room and fought hard to stop the fierce blush that crept across her cheeks. 

The older woman grinned mischievously. "Ah, this must be the Jess you were expecting to see instead of us." 

Jonny hunched his shoulders. "Jessica Bannon, my Aunt, Adelaide Quest Morgan, and my Cousin, Barry Morgan." he introduced. 

"Please, call me Addie. Jessica Bannon. Ah, yes, Jessie. You're Race's little girl, aren't you?" 

"Yes, m'ame." 

"Aunt Addie, what're you two doing here?" 

"Benton didn't tell you?" The duo shook their heads in a negative. She sighed. "Leave it to him to forget. I swear sometimes he'd forget his own head." Adelaide ushered them to sit at the table, placing a plate of scrambled eggs before each, and took a seat herself as they ate. "Just before he left your Dad called me and asked if I would come down to keep an eye on the two of you. He said something about feeling safer if there was an adult present full-time instead of just three times a week like Mrs. Evans." 

"Leave it to Dad." he muttered around a mouthful of egg. 

Barry smirked. "Well, he said they'd be back sometime at the beginning of March, at the latest. Until then, we stuck with each other, Coz." 

"Aw, Barry, you make it sound like such a bad." Jonny replied in his most pathetically sarcastic tone. Jessie only giggled, almost choking on a mouthful of egg. 

Adelaide merely grinned mischievously again. "Now, you were going to tell us why you came in here, thinking we were Jessie, and said you thought she'd be tired after last night?" 

Jessie glanced at Jonny who seemed strangely composed. "We went to the Halloween Dance at school last night and came home rather late. We stayed up anyway to watch the Monster Movie Marathon for a bit, then went to bed." 

"I don't know, Coz. You two looked a little more, what's the word? _Guilty_, than two people who watched monster movies all night." 

Both teens blushed. "Our Dads and Hadji don't know yet." Jessie finally voiced. 

"What?" Barry saw his Cousin reach over and tenderly grip the fiery redhead's hand as the duo smiled sweetly, shyly, at each other. "Oh. You been going out long?" 

"Three month anniversary tomorrow." Jonny beamed proudly. 

"And your Dads don't know?" The teens shook their heads in a negative. Addie suddenly frowned. "After three months couples don't usually act like you two." 

"They do when they find out the person they've secretly loved for the past two years has felt the same way about you for the same amount of time." Jessie grinned shyly at Jonny. He pulled her close to gently claim her lips. She smiled into the kiss, noticing how he was starting not to care anymore if there were others around to see. 

Barry shook his head with a short chuckle when they finally pulled apart and stared intently at each other. "Man, you two have really got it bad." he muttered as the duo got up, heading for the door. 

Jonny turned to him with a playful grin as he took Jessie's hands. "Coz, you don't know the half of it." Jessie merely laughed as she pulled him along. 

* * * 

A loud snap filled the kitchen as Jessie whipped the damp dish towel at Jonny's rear. He jumped to avoid contact with it. "Hey, watch it with that! You have a license to use that thing?" 

"I said _out_." 

"Aw, c'mon, Jess." 

"No. Look, Addie's not letting Barry in here so I'm not letting you in." 

"This is some girl thing on Thanksgiving, right?" 

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Go watch the Super Bowl, or something. Now, out!" and she snapped the towel at him again. In a blur of movement he grabbed hold of the towel end and gave a tug. She held on tight, giving a tug of her own, instigating a small game of _tug o' war _between the two of them. Addie watched with a smile from the other end of the kitchen as she basted the turkey. Jessie saw a sudden bright gleam in his eyes shortly before he gave the towel a sharp tug. Unprepared, she stumbled forward then, trying to recover, leaned back too far. She pulled hard on the towel to help straighten herself. Jonny leaned back, bracing himself to help her. An impish gleam suddenly flashed in her green eyes just before she let go of the towel. Unable to recover he began to back-pedal before landing spread-eagle on the floor. She laughed and leaned over to look down at his face. "Aw, diddums poo' baby fawl down?" she quipped as Addie doubled over in hysterics. 

He laughed despite himself. "Alright. You win, Ace, I'll leave." She helped him back to his feet and ushered him out the door. 

Jonny spent the rest of the day with his Cousin, Barry Morgan, in front of the forty two inch screen television watching the Thanksgiving football games, including the Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys versus the Miami Dolphins and, as usual, the Dolphins were losing. Ever since they signed Dan Marino as their star Quarterback they hadn't been able to win a Super Bowl. From the kitchen he could hear sounds of activity and smell wonderful aromas. At roughly 6:00 P.M. Addie ordered the two young men to go get changed into formal, yet casual, clothes for supper and reconvene in the Dining Room. He knew better than to argue with his Aunt. He had seen her take on Race in an argument and win, hands down. 

He opted for his pair of black dress slacks and a blue denim shirt. Of course he kept his running shoes. As he straightened his hair in the mirror he caught sight of the light glinting off his pendant at his throat. With a grin he pulled it out so it now hung in plain sight. He met Barry at the bottom of the stairs and both headed for the Dining Room. 

"Where you get the bobble?" his Cousin inquired, noticing the Dragon design pendant. 

"A present from Jessie a while back when we were in India. I never had the heart to take it off, not that I want to. I have the pictures of two very important ladies in here, Mom being one of them." 

"Who's the other, or do I really need to ask?" 

"No, you don't." he grinned. They entered the Dining Room only to stop dead in their tracks. The fine oak table was draped in a finely embroidered table cloth. Two sets of chairs faced each other, those on the ends having been removed. Jonny noticed how two of the chairs were set closer together than the other two. He grinned when he speculated why. The four place settings were of the house's fine bone china, crystal, and silverware. Two stately white candles stood on the table top, unlit in their silver chandeliers. "Uh... Did we miss something here?" Addie walked in carrying the last food platters. "Aunt Addie, what's all this?" 

"Actually, this was Jessie's idea." 

As if on cue, Jessica Bannon walked into the room. "Found the mat--" She froze as her breath seemed to block in her throat. _God, he can still do that to me_, she marveled, almost breathless. His blond hair was still in the slight disarray she liked and the cut of his shirt made him look... _Oh, how can I even begin to describe how he looks._ Her eyes fell to the pendant hanging proudly at his throat and she smiled, touching her own pendant unconsciously. "Don't you gents look handsome." she commented softly. 

Jonny just stared. Her long flame red hair hung loose, pinned back at the sides to reveal her face, a few loose strands framing her features. She wore practically no make-up, but the effect was stunning nonetheless. One's eyes were either drawn into the depths of her eyes or the lusciousness of her lips. Jonathan Quest truly believed he could have stood there and gone on forever on how she looked and moved in her green velvet dress. _Had I all the time in the Universe it still wouldn't be enough time with her._ It took him a moment to recover from the sight of her, then he smiled. "So, all this glitz was your idea." 

She shrugged, hoping it hid the shiver she got when he smiled at her. She had seen the look in his eyes, a look that easily reminded her of what almost happened that Halloween night. In a fluid gesture she struck a match to the box's flint and lit the two virgin candles, then blew out the flame on the match. "No harm in a little glitz." came her soft reply. 

"No, none at all." He came over to pull out her chair for her. She smiled her sweetest smile at him as she sat and her hand went to rest on his thigh when he took his seat. He returned her smile before turning his attention to the feast before him. "Sure you two cooked enough?" 

"Just enough to rival the gorge feast on that one Christmas." Addie replied. 

Both young men groaned at the memory. "You know, Jonny, we are never going to live that one down." 

"I know, I know." 

"What? What happened?" Jessie interest had been peaked. 

Jonny sighed heavily. "About a year before you moved in here the first time, Dad held a monster Christmas bash for the entire Quest clan. Uh... How could I phrase this right? You know what they say about teenage boys being able to eat the contents of three refrigerators and still be hungry afterwards?" 

"Yeah." 

"It's highly over rated." Barry finished. "One is more than enough. The terms _stomach pump_come to mind." Jessie had to laugh at Jonny's wincing face. "Not something I care to repeat." 

"Same here." 

With the barest gesture of her hand Addie got them to all join hands. "Race once told me that he usually takes you to see your Mother on this day and you never saw one of the Quest traditions. In the Quest family we have a long standing tradition at Thanksgiving. We share with each other what we are most thankful for, for that year." she explained for Jessie's sake. "Even after I married I endeavored to keep this tradition alive in my new family. Barry...?" 

He bowed his head slightly in thought. "I guess... I'm most thankful for several things, actually. The fact that I'm about to graduate in the top of my class, the fact I have my health, and the fact I have the greatest family in the world to spend my life with." 

"Dripping with sweet stuff." Jonny muttered with a smile. Jessie gave his hand a squeeze to silence him, a grin working the corners of her mouth. 

Addie continued, not having heard the comment. "The things I'm most thankful for are the happiness and good health both my families share." She looked up at the duo across from her. 

Jonny turned to Jessie. "Ladies first." he grinned. 

She grinned back, almost shyly. "God, where to start. This past year has been a hectic one. Everything happening at once." She sighed heavily. "I'm thankful we're all still together. That we're all still alive." Jonny smiled at that comment. She turned to him. "And I'm especially thankful that a certain someone finally worked up the courage to ask me to be his girlfriend." she stated with sultry sweetness. Jonny could feel the warm blush creeping across his cheeks. 

Barry whooped. "Score one for the fire maiden!" They all laughed. "Ball's in your court now, Coz." 

Jonny looked away for a moment, trying to re-compose himself, then turned back. His eyes gleamed the brightest blue Jessie had ever seen them. "I'm only thankful for one thing this year." He turned his eyes to stare deeply into Jessie's as he laced his fingers with hers. It felt as if she couldn't breath anymore, so intense was his gaze. "I'm thankful you said yes." His voice was low. 

"Yes to what?" she asked tentatively. 

He smiled. "To everything so far." and he kissed the back of her fingers tenderly. She blushed suddenly, uncontrollably. 

Barry's laughter snapped them out of their little world. "Even score!" he crowed. After a moment of confused silence they all burst into throes of laughter. 

* * * 

Friday, December 4th. School had finally let out for the holidays, four hours ago. Students packed the malls and shops to shop around and relax after their Christmas Exams. The snow lay thick on the ground, inter-spaced by patched of slippery ice. In the center of Rockport stood a large shopping mall, packed with holiday shoppers. Outside snow fell and temperatures fell well below freezing, but inside the mall everyone was _warm and toasty_. 

Arms loaded with bags of gifts and other whatnot objects, Jessie and Jonny walked out into the cold towards the car, arm in arm. She laughed. "Oh, c'mon, Jonny. You're not going to tell me that wasn't the least bit fun?" 

"Fun is watching you on Santa's knee, Jess, not me. I'm seventeen. I'm too old for that." 

"And I'm not? Then tell me the pictures weren't worth it." 

He struggled with his keys to pop the car's trunk and began loading the bags in. "I'd feel a whole lot better if I had the negative." he grumbled half-heartedly. 

She faced him, her back to the street, and took his hands as she gave him a sweet smile. "I know something else that would make you feel better." she told him in a honey smooth voice. 

He gave her his trademark lopsided grin as he leaned in towards her. She stopped him with a slight giggle. 

"No, not that. I had something else in mind." 

Using her eyes she pointed across the street at one store in particular. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened pleasantly. _Victoria's Secrets_ was written across the sign board in a bright rose color. He turned back to her. She arched an eyebrow playfully. 

"I'll pick out something nice especially for you and we'll try again for what almost happened on Halloween." she stated softly as she walked into the icy street. 

He chuckled. "Don't think anything there will fit me, Jess," and she laughed. "... but I'm all willing to try Halloween again." he called, causing her to turn and stop in the middle of a lane just as he closed the trunk. 

That was when he heard it. The squealing of speeding wheels, the screeching of breaks on ice. He barely had time to look up in time to see a brown 1987 Buick Regal come tearing down the road, uncontrollably. It was barreling straight for Jessie. 

"No-- JESSIE!!" 

But it was too late for him to do anything. As if in slow motion the car slammed into her body, propelling her up and over the hood and roof. Limply she tumbled back down to the street and snow as the car sped away, not stopping. He raced out into the street to her, leaning over her broken body, peering into her features anxiously. He tried not to look at her twisted limbs. Blood was already staining the snow from non-apparent wounds, blood trickling from her nose and mouth. 

"Jessie...? Jess...?" He was frantic as his hands began to cup her face. Her blood flowed over his hands, staining them. 

"... J- Jon-... Jonny..." Her good arm flailed to let her grip his shoulder, her eyes fluttered open just a bit. "... D- don't... m... move... m-... me..." she managed. 

Quickly he scanned the gathering crowd. "Somebody call an ambulance! NOW!!" A few people raced off to find a phone. He looked at her, his eyes beginning to tear, and carefully caressed her face. Agonizing minutes went by as they just stared into each others eyes, her green eyes slowly beginning to close. "No... Jessie, stay with me. You'll be okay. Just hang on a little bit longer." his voice cracked. He could hear the sirens coming closer. 

"... I'm... a-... afraid... I... w... won't... be able... t- to... give... y- you my... p-... present,... J- Jon-... Jonny..." she smiled weakly. 

He smiled reassuringly through his tears. "Yes, you will. I'm _not_ going to lose you, not now, not _ever_. I love you too much to lose you." She merely smiled as her eyes finally closed just as the ambulance arrived. "Jess?... No!" 

In a blur of activity she was prepped for transport to the hospital, both teens were loaded into the vehicle, and they took off. He watched the paramedics work frantically to stabilize her continuously dropping life signs. All he could do was watch. He couldn't even touch her so much the medics were rushing around the back of the ambulance. At the hospital he had to run to keep up with them, but he was stopped at the entrance to the Emergency Ward. He watched through a small window in the door before a curtain was pulled around where Jessie was being worked on. A nurse arrived, gently took hold of Jonny's shoulders and led him towards a quiet, private waiting area. He paced for a few minutes before the nurse returned with a small paper cup and a Styrofoam cup full of water. 

"Take this." she urged gently. 

Jonny kept pacing anxiously. 

"It'll help you relax. If you stay wound up like this it'll kill you. I know who you are, Jonathan Quest, and I looked at your file. You have a nasty tendency to drive yourself too hard in situations you can't control." 

He looked at her, this petite brunette with wide nearly silver eyes. 

"Take it." she offered again. 

He hesitated and she smiled a very knowing, pleasant smile. 

"I also know you don't like needles. That's the other option." 

He relented, shaking as shock settled in, and swallowed the small pills. 

"If you need anything, I'm Nurse Katrina Mouse." 

She walked out of the small room as two uniformed police officers walked in. They just stood there, behind him, and waited just long enough for him to sit down. The sedative was taking effect, numbing most of his feelings, but not enough. 

"What's your name, Son?" the tall, burly officer asked carefully. 

He looked up at the African American. He saw the name on his tag: Sergeant H. Jerren. "Jonathan Quest, sir." 

He asked for Jessie's name, their address and phone number next. "Alright, now, Jonathan. Tell us what happened. Take your time." 

Jonny struggled with the words as a dark void began to invade his soul. It was like Cairo all over again. "We... We were Christmas shopping, well, just finished... I was packing the trunk... We were joking around 'cause we got our pictures taken with Santa... She mentioned she wanted to go to the store across the street..." A slight, fleeting smile tugged the corners of his mouth. "She wanted to get a surprise for me, it was a lingerie store... Next thing I know there's a car coming right at her and..." His throat tightened. He couldn't relive the moment. He looked down at his hands, feeling his pain increase at the sight of her blood on his skin. 

"What kind of car was it?" the other asked carefully. 

The moment flashed in his mind regardless of his efforts to suppress it. Silently he cursed his photographic memory. "Uh... A brown one... Buick... An '87 Regal, I think." 

Jerren nodded. "Go call it in, Mike. Hit and run. Oh, and call his house. Their family might want to know about this." As the other officer left he turned to Jonny. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" 

Jonny could only nod, tears flowed freely at the thought of possibly losing her. His worst fear was possible coming true. He was reliving the nightmare he had suffered in Cairo. And Hadji wasn't here to help keep her alive. 

"Don't worry, she's a tough one. The whole fact she survived the impact is proof enough." 

He took a shaky breath. "I almost lost her once before this." he managed. 

"Yeah, when?" 

"... Some... two years back,... in Cairo... She--" 

His heart finally tore apart and he dropped his head on his arms, letting the heavy sobs wrack his body. Jerren was shocked, to say the least. Never in his ten years on the Force had he seen a man cry so hard for an injured girlfriend. He gripped the young man's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. This Jessica Bannon must have been someone incredibly special. Several long hours passed with no news of any kind. He just sat there, unmoving, as his heart poured out with his tears. Nurse Mouse returned several times to check on him and offer comforting words. He didn't really hear her words. Jonny's Aunt Adelaide and Cousin Barry showed up to offer emotional support, but he barely acknowledged their presence. His world was lost in darkness and blurred by tears. He leapt to his feet when the attending doctor walked into the waiting room. 

"You all here for the Bannon girl?" he asked, reading off his file. 

"Jessie. How is she?" Jonny demanded anxiously. 

The doctor paused in indecision, then sighed. "I'll be blunt, young man. Her chances are not good, slim at best." 

Addie had to support Jonny as his knees began to buckle. Barry got to him a second later to help. 

"The damage she sustained was extensive. It was a miracle she survived this long with it all. Multiple fractures throughout her body, whiplash, bruised spinal column, joint dislocations, and internal bleeding, though we got that under control with some surgery. She went into a coma about fifteen minutes ago. We're not sure when she'll wake up again, but we can tell she's fighting it. It's almost as if she's hanging on to something... or someone. If she does wake up there might be some brain damage and we're extremely skeptical about her chances of ever being able to walk again. And all that is being optimistic about her surviving the night. Her chances of survival will increase if she does." 

He barely registered the words. Fighting the pain in his heart Jonny straightened bravely. "I... I want to see her." 

The doctor looked to Addie and Barry, then nodded at the young man before leading him through the halls of the Intensive Care Unit. Doors lined the halls, large curtained windows next to each of them. The doctor stopped in front of one window. Jonny peered in and felt his chest tighten with more pain he'd ever felt. 

_No, I've felt this before, in Cairo._

Various tubes and wires streamed out of contraptions; a heart monitor and an electroencephalographs, to monitor brain activity. All were connected somewhere on her body. A machine breathed for her from a tube down her throat. Plaster casts immobilized most of her body and a turban like bandage was wrapped around her head. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks again as his hand pressed to the cold glass of the window. He looked to the doctor who was already opening the door for him, giving him a nod. Jonny went in, alone, and stood next to Jessie's bed. Ever so gently he traced her bruised cheekbone. 

"Don't leave me, Jess... I still need you." he pleaded. 

He pulled a chair up to her bedside and sat down, holding her limp hand. Her skin felt cold. 

"I'm going to stay here until you wake up... Okay, Ace?... I'm right here..." 

He looked up at the IV bag dripping life saving blood into her veins and the other that dripped some clear fluid, pain killers most probably. 

"I know they say... comatose people can hear those talking to them so I'm going to talk to you, okay? If you want me to stop talking you'll have to wake up otherwise I'll just keep talking and talking, and we both don't want that to happen, do we?... This kind of gives a bad sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" he quipped weakly with a lame laugh. 

He suddenly stared, tears coming more freely. 

"God, Jess, you have no idea how much I want to hold you right now. I love you." and his head dropped to her hand as he cried. 

* * * 

Jessie _walked_ around the darkness, confused and more than a little afraid. Where was she? She remembered Christmas shopping with Jonny and hearing the squealing wheels of a car... but then what happened? How did she get here? She heard a door open through the darkness and felt the light touch of fingers on her cheek. 

"Don't leave me, Jess... I still need you." she heard as she felt her hand be taken. 

She knew that voice. _Jonny?_

"I'm going to stay here until you wake up... Okay, Ace?... I'm right here..." 

_Wake up? But I'm right here, I can hear you. I am awake. Why can't I see you?_

"I know they say... comatose people can hear those talking to them so I'm going to talk to you, okay?" 

_Comatose!? Me?_

"If you want me to stop talking you'll have to wake up otherwise I'll just keep talking and talking, and we both don't want that to happen, do we?" 

_Jonny, I'm right here!_

"This kind of gives a bad sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" 

In the darkness Jessie began to cry. He couldn't hear her, no matter how hard she yelled, and she couldn't even squeeze his hand. His voice had cracked and all she wanted was to hold him. 

"God, Jess, you have no idea how much I want to hold you right now. I love you." and she felt his face drop to her hand and hot tears wet her cold skin. 

_I love you, too. And you don't know how much I want you to hold me._

**_Why do you cry, child?_** came a new voice in the darkness. 

Jessie had a violent mental start. She was supposed to be alone here. She was comatose so her subconscious was her only company. 

**_We are far from your subconscious, dear child, _**the voice broke into her thoughts._** Do not be alarmed, we will not harm you.**_

_What're you doing in my mind?_

_**Are we in your mind or are you in ours?**_ the voice chuckled. _**You'll know our purpose, and yours, in due time. We simply wait for the other.**_

_The other? Wait! What're you talking about? Come back!_ But once again she was alone in the dark. 

* * * 

Three weeks had passed since the accident. It was now December 24th at 8:00 A.M. Jessie had survived. Not for an instant had Jonny left her bedside, watching over her, almost guarding her. Every so often he would notice how the EEC would spike to show some mental activity, but apart from that there was no change in her condition. The doctors were saying she was getting better, but they still couldn't say when she would wake up, if ever. They had long since removed the tube from down her throat, letting her breath on her own instead of by a machine. Most of her injuries had healed during the past three weeks and her bandages had been removed. Jonny passed the time by toying with a lock of her hair and staring at her face. Every so often Crysta and Jessie's other girlfriends would come for a visit and try to comfort Jonny in his time of need, but they could never stay long enough to be of any real help. Not that he paid much attention to them. 

Barry appeared in the doorway. "It's been three weeks, Coz. You need to blow off some steam." 

Jonny just gave him a puzzled glance. 

"It was obvious from the moment you heard they caught the driver. Your school still open over the Holidays?" 

He nodded. 

"Good. C'mon, a few hours in the gym'll make you feel better. We'll go home after and you can relax, grab a bite to eat, and maybe get some sleep. Three weeks is a long time to be awake. Don't worry, Mom has my cell phone number. If anything new happens we'll be back here in a flash." 

He looked to Addie who was sitting in the opposite corner of the room to him. She nodded reassuringly. Reluctantly, Jonny got to his feet and leaned over Jessie's limp form. 

"I'll be back soon, Jess. I promise." he whispered and gently touched her lips with his own. 

The void was still in his heart, dark and painful. He then let himself be pulled away from her side and out of the hospital. 

Barry drove through the snow covered streets towards Rockport High School. Few cars were parked outside this school. Blindly, Jonny led him through the halls towards the gym. On the other side of the gym was a group of girls in leotards practicing some sort of cheer leading routine. Maya Vernessa was one of them. The two young men got changed and then Barry led his Cousin to a fighting mat, mainly the punching bag. Maya stopped the practice so she could easily watch the duo, mainly Jonny. 

Barry placed himself behind the punching bag to hold it steady. "Alright, Coz, I want you to imagine that this thing's the driver. Ready?... Vent!" 

Jonny began to punch the bag, slowly at first, then, as the image of the driver's face appeared in his mind, he began to punch with more ferocity and strength, adding kicks as he went along. On and on he vented, not feeling the pain from his now raw knuckles, grunting as he put more and more strength and anger behind each punch and kick. He suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest and he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. 

"... Wh-... What happened?..." he panted as his Cousin gripped his shoulder. 

"You just killed the punching bag." 

"I _what_?" He looked at the vent target of his rage and found it torn apart with sand and saw dust scattered around the mat. "Oh, man." he breathed. 

"Maybe we should try to focus that anger instead of venting. Less dangerous. You still in archery?" 

"Yeah, my gear's in the supply room." 

Barry nodded slightly and ran off in the indicated direction. Jonny got to his feet, rubbing his sore knuckles, as he stared at the remains of the punching bag. Glancing up slightly he saw Maya breathing heavily and smiling at him. 

_Oh, great. I'm really mad right now and she get's off on it. How sick can you get?_

Barry returned with the archery equipment and a large target. "Bet these're your own arrows, right? They're too heavy to be ordinary ones." 

He shrugged. "I've been tinkering." 

He took the bow and notched one of his special arrows. He took a second to focus, pulled back farther than needed, aimed, and released. The arrow imbedded itself to the halfway mark. He did this for several more arrows as Maya watched, entranced. 

Then, "So, how's Bannon doing?" she suddenly asked, her voice sickeningly sweet. 

Jonny faltered for only a second. "What do you care?" 

"Now, now, don't be bitter. I was just wondering. After all, getting hit by a Buick Regal has got to hurt." 

He hid his violent reaction by releasing the arrow. It went to the center of the target as if by instinct. None of the newspapers had reported what kind of vehicle had hit Jessie. 

"She's still in a coma." 

"Poor girl. That Trevor Nigles really screwed up that night, didn't he?" 

And the newspapers hadn't released the driver's name. That cinched it for Jonny. Maya was somehow responsible. He notched another arrow and took aim at the target. 

"Tell me something, Maya?" 

"Anything you want." 

"What was your part in all this?" He pulled the arrow back a little more. 

"... I... uh... I don't know what you're talking about." She was flustered, almost frightened. 

Jonny turned quickly to her and released the arrow. It barely missed her ear. His blue eyes glowed a menacing light, fierce and dangerous. 

"I swear, when I find out exactly what your part was, you're going to wish you never met me." to which he threw his bow on the ground at her feet and stormed out of the gym. 

Barry, stunned at his Cousin's words and actions, ran after him. Without a word they got into the car and drove to the Quest Compound. Once there Jonny entered the house, ignoring Bandit's energetic welcome, and went straight upstairs. Barry left him alone, not wanting to suddenly find himself the target of fresh, new anger. 

Somber and silent, young Quest showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He still felt cold, even if the water had been set to near scalding. It was almost 7:00 P.M. He then looked around his room. Nothing had been changed in the past three weeks. Everything was where it should be, which made it all the more painful to look at. At any moment he expected Jessie to burst into his room, laughing. Going to his coat he had thrown on the foot of his bed he began fishing in one of the pockets. He pulled out a green stone locket on a thin gold chain, Jessie's locket. The doctors at the hospital had removed it to better treat her injuries. Jonny had held on to it ever since. Somehow he found himself in Jessie's room and just stood there, looking around. On her pillow sat a battered brown bear named Mr. Bear. Jessie's favorite bear. His mind imagined hearing her voice, her laughter, seeing her smiling face and glowing green eyes, feeling her pressed tightly in his arms. The void invaded his soul again as he imagined losing her. His eyes began to burn with new tears as he tangled himself in her blankets, holding Mr. Bear like she did every night. There, he cried himself to sleep. 

* * * 

Jessie merely _existed_ in the dark, unsure of the exact passage of time, comforted only by the sound of Jonny's voice and the feel of his hand holding hers. She had barely heard Barry convince him to leave and she had silently agreed on the reasons. She remembered how back in Cairo he had nearly killed himself watching over her almost lifeless form. Mentally she shouted out to Jonny to go ahead and spend some time on himself. After all, she would still be here when he returned. He had kissed her lips before leaving, a tender, feather like touch. But now that he was gone she missed him. She was alone. 

**_The other comes_**, came the strange voice from the darkness. 

She had gotten used to this voice. When everything else around her was silent the voice would come to speak to her, riddles mostly. 

_Who is this _other_?_

_**A part of you, dear child.**_

_But, I'm already a whole. How can there still be a missing part?_

_**None of us is truly whole, child. We are all two halves searching for each other to become whole again. Some spend a lifetime searching for the other. Rare are those who receive our help, rarer are those who have found the half without our help. We are here to make you realize that the other arriving is your other half. You've already wasted so much time.**_

_I don't understand._

_**You will. Be patient**_, and the voice disappeared. 

Jessie again _existed_ in the dark. They said understanding would come, but understanding of what? The other was coming, but they had never told her who the other was apart that this _other_was her other half and that she knew... it? Patience was definitely not one of her virtues. 

**_The other arrives! We will give you both a more solid form, a more corporeal form, to better interact in this realm._**

She felt a tingling sensation and suddenly she could see her hands. Then the rest of her body appeared when she looked down, clothed the same way as the day of the accident. The darkness receded to form a circular perimeter around her. 

"What are you?" she called in utter wonder, spinning in place to take in the lighted area. 

Her hands suddenly slapped against her mouth. Real words! Not thoughts, but real words! And she had felt the slight stinging of her hands slapping against her mouth. 

"How...?" 

_**We said it before. Are you in our mind or are we in yours? Here, everything exists in sheer thought. We can make things as you want it here, alter your surroundings, to a point.**_

"To a point?" She was still having difficulty adjusting to this sudden change. 

_**You must wake up eventually. This world cannot be too comfortable or you'll want to remain. Especially after HE arrives. His time here will be short, enough to be a reminder of your real existence to you, that he still needs you.**_

"He? He, who?" she demanded, losing patience. 

"Jessie." 

She froze. She knew that voice like she knew her own. Her _mind_ reeled at the prospect of his presence. 

_No! Could he really be here, in my mind?_

She turned slowly, hesitantly. There he stood, as awe struck and confused as she was. A wave of emotion, more powerful that she had ever felt before, struck her and struck her hard. 

"Jonny." 

In an instant she was in his arms, being crushed to his chest, their lips meeting hungrily. They dropped to the ground, still locked in the breathless embrace. They parted to breath, keeping each other's lips within easy reach. His hands traveled along her cheeks, her arms wrapping around him tightly. 

"I was just thinking about you." he whispered against her lips. She smiled. "Am... Am I dreaming?" 

Jessie wanted to cry, but she wasn't sure if it was out of sheer joy or the pain from the thought that this was all happening in her mind. 

"I think... Yes, you are. It's the only way we can be together right now." 

He looked at her almost as if he were memorizing her features, puzzlement in his eyes. 

"You're in my head." she almost laughed. 

"Always knew I'd get there someday." he chuckled. "What... What am I doing here?" 

**_We brought you here._**

Jonny turned sharply at the sound of the voice. "Why? Who are you?" 

_**We are Guides to lead the lost back to the light, to lead the two back to being the whole. We brought you here to remind her why she must return and how hard she has to fight to do so. You are two halves that form the whole. We have watched your souls find each other over and over again through the centuries. Only you have been able to do this, we have found no one else. **_

"I don't understand." Jessie voiced for them both. 

The light coalesced into images, both familiar and alien at the same time. Ancient warriors from the past stormed across the country side. The images seemed to follow one warrior in particular as he hacked away at enemies. 

**_This is Ancient Spain. The Warriors attacking are Norsemen on a raid,_** the voice explained. 

The focal warrior ran into a large hut and seemed to freeze in his tracks. The image shifted to reveal the point of a sword held towards the warrior. The wielder was a fiery redhead with blazing green eyes. 

"Now why does that face look familiar?" Jonny grinned impishly. Jessie was too stunned to speak. 

As they watched the warrior did something a Norseman wouldn't normally do. He removed his horned helm. Long blond hair fell around his shoulders, framing a pair of piercing blue eyes and a surprised/awed expression. The woman looked shocked as the sword point dropped to the floor. 

Jessie couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up from her throat. "That would have probably been my reaction, too, to see you with long hair." 

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny." came his sarcastic reply. 

**_The woman was Jasra, the Clan Leader's sole Daughter. The Warrior was Jonric, Leader of his tribe since the death of his Father. They were enemies from their birth, sworn to kill every member of the opposing Clan because of a long since forgotten wrong, but escaped their Clans to unite their lives. They had dreams of each other, soul memories if you will, passed down from reincarnation to reincarnation. They loved each other deeply from their first dream. They were you, thousands of years ago. _**

**_There were others following them, in Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Medieval and Victorian England, and finally the Americas. Juno, Son of a slave, and Jona, Daughter of an Aristocrat; Jern, Son of a noble, and Jalna, an Amazon, Jonathan, a Pirate Captain, and Jessica, Daughter to a British naval fleet's Commander, Jeremy, an explorer, and Jennifer, a Duchess, Caroline, a noblewoman, and Jean, a Lord, and finally you, Jonny, Son of an eminent scientist, and Jessie, Daughter of an ex-Covert Operations Officer. Now, you must leave._**

Jonny and Jessie held each other jealously, not wanting to lose each other just yet, but already the light was fading. He was beginning to vanish. All too soon he was gone. The light vanished. Strangely though, feelings intensified. Once muted sounds became louder. 

_What's that annoying beeping? Jonny, where are you? Jonny?_

* * * 

"No! Jessie!" 

Jonny woke with a start, sitting up. For a split second he didn't recognize where he was. Then he remembered. This was Jessie's room on the Quest Compound. The dream had been so vivid, real. No, it _hadn't_ been a dream. It _had_ been real. He still had the feel of Jessie's body in his arms and against his chest. He leapt out of the bed, catching sight of the clock as he went running out of the room. 2:11 A.M. It was officially Christmas. He ran into Barry's room and shook his Cousin awake. 

"Barry! Barry, wake up!" 

"Go back to bed, Coz." he mumbled, rolling over. "It's a quarter past two in the morning! What wrong?" 

"I need to get to the hospital, and I need to go _now!_" 

"They won't let you in at this time." 

"Barry...!" 

"Alright, alright. Give me time to get dressed and we'll go." 

It took Barry ten minutes to dress and get into the car where Jonny sat waiting. He drove his anxious, and strangely shaken, Cousin into town towards the Rockport General Hospital. 

Before Barry could properly park the car, Jonny was already running for the front entrance. He raced passed the attending nurse's desk towards the ICU The nurse ran after him to stop him, calling on Security as she went. They tried blocking Jonny's path, but using the years of training he had gotten from Race Bannon he avoid capture easily and kept running. Barry was somewhere behind him, explaining what he believed was wrong to the attendants and the Security personnel. As Jonny neared his destination he could see doctors ahead of him running for the same room. All were speaking excitedly. He burst through the door, silencing the babbling voices in the process. They knew who he was. What surprised them all was the fact that he was here at that very moment. Through the silence he heard the heart monitor beeping strongly and one soft voice calling his name. 

Jessie's voice! 

He pushed his way through the crowd of doctors towards the bedside just as Barry, Addie, the hospital attendants, and Security arrived at the door. 

"... Jon-... ny..." came her barely audible voice over and over again, her eyes still closed. 

He sat on the bed's edge, taking her hand. Tears stung his eyes as he leaned down towards her. "I'm here, Jessie." he whispered in her ear. 

She quieted as her eyes opened to thin slits. It was enough for her to see. The doctors again began to babble excitedly. She cracked a weak smile, her hand tightening on Jonny's. Relieved, he laughed and cried at the same time as he pressed his forehead to hers. 

"Merry Christmas, Ace." he breathed and lightly pressed his lips to hers. 

After a few hours of explaining and re-explaining Jonny's sudden appearance at the hospital, the doctors and others left the room. Jonny held her hand tightly, sitting on the edge of her bed, and watched her tired and pale features wake from the long coma. Her eyes opened a little more as a slight smile turned up the corners of her lips. 

"How're you feeling?" he finally asked. 

Her voice was a bare, hoarse whisper. "... Not bad... con-... sidering... I'm supposed to... be dead..." she chuckled, lacking breath from the coma. Looking up she saw the tired black circles under his eyes. Her eyes softened. "... And... you?..." 

"I'm fine, Jess." 

"... You... s- should... get some... sleep..." 

"When you come home I will." 

"... How're... you... handling... all this...?" 

"I'm handling it about as well as last time." 

"... That... bad, hun?..." 

He laughed softly. Then, "Jess, did that _dream_ we had last night, did it really happen? Did we really see what I think we saw?" 

She thought for a moment, recollecting her muddled and sluggish thoughts, and nodded with a sweet smile. 

"Two parts of the same whole. Kind of makes you feel strange, doesn't it?" 

"... All... those lives... we... saw... They... were us..." She sighed a smile with a slight shake of her head. "... Wouldn't... want it... any-... other... way..." 

Ever so tenderly he cupped her cheek, gliding his thumb across her cheek bone, and her eyes closed of their own accord from the gentleness of his touch, turning her face into his palm. "You should sleep now, get your strength up. We'll talk more later." 

But, before she closed her eyes in sleep, "... Jonny?..." 

"Yeah?" 

"... Merry... Christmas..." and her eyes closed in much needed sleep. 

When she next woke the first thing she was aware of was a hand gripping hers. Then, there were voices. 

"She's fine, Estella. I was talking to her earlier this morning." she heard Jonny assure... her Mother? 

"I'd be more reassured if I could talk to her. I wish you'd told me all this earlier." 

"I did! The message I left on your machine dates to two hours after the accident, almost three weeks ago." 

Jessie opened her eyes. "Mom...?" 

Estella Velasquez seemed to jump and gripped her Daughter's other hand. "Oh, Sweetie, how're you feeling?" 

"I'm okay, Mom." She even sounded stronger. "Sorry if I gave you guys a scare. Somebody help me sit up." 

Estella went to the crank at the foot of her bed to raise the top half of the mattress at an angle as Jonny helped Jessie sit up comfortably. She winced and gritted her teeth in pain. She turned to Jonny when she recovered enough. 

"Three weeks?" she croaked. 

"To the day." 

"Tell me what happened. I don't remember." She saw him hesitate, his expression falling. "Please, Jonny. I have a chunk of memory missing, a big black hole. I need to know." and she gave his hand a squeeze. 

"I..." The look in her eyes quelled any argument and he sighed in surrender. He sat back on the edge of her bed. "You turned and stopped in the middle of a lane. A Buick Regal, driven by a Trevor Nigles, hit you and kept going." His voice began to hush. "There was nothing either me or you could have done to stop him." Then his voice became harsh. "I don't know how yet, but I know Maya's involved." 

"What?" 

"She knew the make of the car and the name of the driver even though they weren't released to the papers." 

She quickly gripped his arms. "You will _not_ do anything." she ordered. Then, at his puzzled expression, she smiled evilly as she lowered his voice. "We'll take care of her together, okay?" 

He smiled in a conspiring manner. "Yes, M'ame." 

Estella looked at them, completely lost from their conversation. "Somebody mind cluing me in here?" 

Jessie giggled. "Long story you don't want to hear, Mom." 

"Then how about your story." she retorted, indicating both of them. 

They blushed. "You want to tell her, or should I?" Jonny smirked. 

"I'll tell her. Mom,... um... Jonny and I have gotten... pretty close over the past five months." 

"How close?" she grinned. 

"Not _that_ close, Mom." 

She smiled. "Should've guessed from the way he didn't let go of your hand for a second. Had to happen sooner or later, and I must say I'm thrilled for the both of you." 

She came up to sit behind Jonny and held him in a Motherly fashion. She had always liked Jonny. The few rare visits she paid to the Quest Compound and the times he spent at her dig sites had convinced her that he was a very honorable and fine young man. Perfect for her Jessie. 

"So, when's the wedding?" 

"Estella!" Jonny exclaimed. 

"Mom!" Jessie nearly shouted. She was prevented though by the painful tightness in her throat from the coma. 

"Easy, Sweetie. I'm just kidding. You're both still young and have your entire lives ahead of you. Ah, to be young again." They laughed at her reminiscent air, to which she frowned in mock annoyance. Then, "Hey, I have a great idea. If Jessie can't go home for Christmas then Christmas will come to her. You'd finished your shopping, right?" 

"We'd just finished before--" He couldn't bring himself to continue. Just the thought of the accident brought the void back to his soul. Jessie took his hand in reassurance. He smiled at her, the void fading, before turning back to her Mother. "Everything should still be in the trunk of the Viper. Her's were the two red bags, mine the green ones." 

Estella nodded and began moving towards the door. "I should be back in a few hours, just long enough to get everything ready and bring it back here." Then, with a wink, she was gone. 

Jonny changed position to sit close to Jessie's side, an arm around her shoulders protectively. She rested her cheek to his chest. There they stayed in silence for several long minutes, enjoying each other's presence. She could hear his heart beating strongly. 

"Now, there's a sound I missed." she grinned, laying her hand on his leg. 

He smiled down at her. "What sound?" 

"Your heart beat." In a painful move she pulled her knees to her chest. "Oh, bad idea." she groaned. 

"Should be careful. You had a lot of broken bones." 

"It feels like I still have a few. But, pain or no pain, I can't wait to walk again... so I can outrun you like usual." she quipped. 

"Ha! As if." he retorted as a doctor walked into the room. "Doctor Raimy, hi." Jonny greeted. 

The aging doctor raised his hazel eyes from the chart he was reading to smile at the young duo. "Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Quest. Still here I see." 

Jonny hunched his shoulders at the comment and Jessie skimmed his cheek with the back of her fingers. 

"So, Miss Bannon, I can see you're feeling much better. This was quite a miraculous recovery you had this morning." 

"It's Christmas, a day for miracles." she replied. 

"And in my line of work miracles can't be discounted. And you, Mr. Quest. How did you know to come here this morning just as she came out of her coma?" 

"Let's just say the spirits moved me." Jessie began to chuckle at his reply. 

"Miracles again, eh? In that case I won't question. Miss Bannon, I have you scheduled to begin physiotherapy in a week from now. I know that's early, but at your age I'm sure you can appreciate a speedy recovery. We'll have you up and walking in no time." 

"I'd rather be up and dancing in no time." She turned to Jonny and gave him a sweet smile. "Specifically the Bolero." 

He returned her smile, remembering what happened the last time they had danced the Bolero at the French Embassy. All the emotional walls had come crashing down in pleasant surprise. 

"As soon as you're on your feet, Beautiful, I promise your first dance will be the Bolero." and he placed a gentle kiss on her temple. 

"Promise?" 

"No. Sworn on my life." 

"I'm going to hold you to that one." 

After a few seconds they turned to Raimy who had stood by patiently, a knowing smile on his face. The duo blushed shyly. Raimy shook his head with a low chuckle. "I understand both your Fathers are out of town. When are they supposed to return?" 

"They said sometime beginning of March." Jonny replied. 

"You know that I'm required by the Law to inform them on what happened." 

"Yeah, I know. Go easy on them, they're getting on in years." Jessie squeezed his leg in a chiding manner as she chuckled. Raimy nodded a smile, took a last look at Jessie's chart, then left for his rounds. Jonny suddenly sighed heavily at a thought. "God, Race is going to want to kill me for this one." 

"Not if I can help it, Hot Shot. There's no way I'm going to let Dad kill my boyfriend." They laughed softly before he suddenly stopped. She turned slightly to look up at him. He had a strange look on his face, his saddened eyes meeting hers. "What's wrong, Jonny?" 

He averted his eyes suddenly. "Uh... Nothing." 

She blinked, then began to smile evilly. "You'll tell me if I have to tickle it out of you." she threatened. A huff of laughter forced itself from his throat and he carefully wrapped both his arms around her perfect body. She snuggled closer, as much as her pain would allow. "Now, tell me." 

He sighed. "I'm cursed, or should be." 

"What?" 

"The moment we're alone together something usually goes wrong. I mean, remember our first date and the incident with Surd." 

"That wasn't your fault." 

"No, but Race sure thought it was. I swear if he'd had his gun with him he would've shot me down right there and then. I'd seen him mad before, but he gave me the grilling of my life." 

"I won't let it happen this time. Had I known back then he'd blow up I wouldn't have left you alone with him for a second." She turned in his arms to hold him close. "I really never meant for you to be hurt in any way, I swear." 

"I know." he breathed in her hair. 

"I love you too much to let you get hurt." she whispered. She felt his arms tighten around her and silently winced at the unintentional pain he was causing in her ribs. 

He saw the wince nonetheless. "Sorry, Jess." and his grip relented somewhat, enough to relieve the pain. 

"It's okay." and she patted his heart before sighing heavily. "God, I can't wait until I can get out of this hospital." 

"What's the first thing you'd do?" 

She smiled, flattening her hand against his heart. "I don't know. Maybe do a little shopping with Mom." 

"Shopping?" 

"Girl stuff. Maybe I'll go back to _Victoria's Secrets_." 

He grinned lopsidedly. "My interest's peaked. Then what?" 

"Try on my purchases." 

"And do you want to be alone for that?" he probed playfully. 

She pulled back slightly to stare deep into his blue eyes. Almost carefully she traced her fingers along his jaw line bringing her face closer to his. "Well, maybe not _all_ alone." His lips brushed against hers in a feather like touch and she closed her eyes. "Make me forget the pain." she sighed into his mouth. Their lips met tenderly and their whole world seemed to melt away. Her pain seemed to vanish as they mutually explored each other's mouth at a very leisurely speed and his hand gently, rhythmically tightened on her nape. She held him tight, wanting the embrace to last an eternity. 

"Get your hands off my Daughter!" came a shout from the door. 

Jonny pulled away from Jessie rather quickly to take refuge on the other side of the bed. Jessie held her arms out defensively, wincing at the pain the sudden movement caused. "Dad, calm down!" she called to the new comer. 

Race Bannon was straining against both Benton Quest and Hadji Singh's grip. Estella, Adelaide and Barry stood behind the three, arms laden with bags and food trays. Race's face was red with fury. "Let me go! I'm going to ring his neck for letting my baby get hurt!" 

"If you don't calm down right now I'll call for Security to kick you out!" Jessie warned. 

Race looked shocked. "You'd do that to me, Ponchita?" 

"Oh, don't you _Ponchita_ me, Dad. Bad enough you chewed him out last time I got hurt. I not about to let you repeat your _over-protective Father_ routine." He visibly calmed at the threat. "Now, what are you three doing back so soon?" 

"We finished ahead of schedule." Doctor Quest explained. "What happened to you?" 

Jonny fidgeted and Jessie reached out to take his hand, pulling him close. He anticipated her question. "How many times must I relive that moment?" he mused sadly, placing a hand over his hurting heart. 

She tugged on his other hand to force him to sit at her side, gently caressing his cheek. "It'll get easier, but I'll tell them." She turned to the others in the room with a resolute sigh. "Three weeks ago Jonny and I were downtown, finishing up our Christmas shopping. I still had one more thing to pick up across the street." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jonny try to hide his knowing grin. Then, almost immediately, it vanished as he realized what was coming next. "There wasn't any time to move. A Buick Regal came right at me. Next thing I knew I was waking up here." 

Race frowned, doing the math in his head. "If the accident happened three weeks ago, then what're you still doing here?" 

Estella took hold of Race's arm as Jonny continued. "She was in a coma until about three o'clock this morning, Race." 

The newly returned trio registered total shock at this revelation. Benton Quest regarded Jessie almost critically. "Kind of strong to have just come out of a coma." he voiced. 

Jessie merely grinned sheepishly. "As a Phenomenologist you can hardly discount the existence of miracles and related healings, can you, Doctor Quest?" 

"No, I suppose not. Especially not today." he chuckled. He took her chart from the foot of her bed, as the others prepared the small in-hospital Christmas party, and read it over. "Being released in two days, physiotherapy in a week... I must say, Jessie, you were extremely lucky." 

"Luck had nothing to do with it." she replied. 

Jonny's arm had snaked around her shoulders again as she was handed a plastic cup of ginger ale. Her hand holding the cup trembled slightly and he reached over to hold it, and her hand, steady. "You okay?" 

She nodded silently and looked up at him. "I think it's just that it's finally sinking in." 

"Now you know a fraction of how I felt." and he gently kissed her temple. 

Hadji saw the gesture and approached the duo, sitting at Jessie's other side. "I see it has finally happened between you." he voiced with a grin. 

Jonny sighed in what seemed exasperation. "What is it with this _finally_?" he demanded to the ceiling. 

Jessie chuckled, then looked to the young Sultan. "Then, you're not mad?" she asked innocently. Jonny eyes mirrored the question. 

"Never, my friends. I was jealous when I first noticed the signs between you, but only for a little while." 

"On a different note. Metaphysical question for you, Hadj. What do you know about this _each person having half a soul_ thing?" Jonny asked of him. 

"It is an Ancient Greek belief. They believed that the soul was cleaved in two by Zeus himself upon creation and then each half set out on the journey to find its other half. It is said that very few souls find their other halves, their soul mates if you will." 

"And what about _the Guides_?" 

"_The Guides_? Little is known of them. Do not tell me you have met them?" 

"Do you know something about them?" The young Sultan nodded. "Oh, good. What the Hell are they?" 

"Spirits, playful imps. No one has been able to give a better definition. Their sole purpose, no pun intended, in life and death seems to be to decide who should find their other halves and who shouldn't from one reincarnation to the next. There are legends that say they have watched over only six couples in all of Earth's history starting with a Norseman Warrior and a woman from Hispania." 

"Jonric and Jasra." supplied Jessie. 

Hadji looked stunned that she knew. "How did you...?" 

"_The Guides_ told-- no, _showed_ us. They also added something about all those people, the six couples, were us at one time, our past reincarnations." 

"Enough metaphysics." Barry announced as he handed the last cups of ginger ale to the gathered members, then raised his plastic cup in the air. "We're all here, we're all together, and, most of all, we're all alive." 

Jonny raised his glass high, tightening his arm around Jessie's shoulders. "I'll drink to that, Coz. To life." They all took up the toast as he leaned in closer to her ear. "And to love." he whispered tenderly. 

With a slight shiver from his warm breath against her ear she turned to look into his eyes, raising her own cup. "To love." she whispered back, touching her cup to his, and then they drank. 

"That reminds me. Hadj, pass me my coat." 

The young Sultan did so and Jonny began to fish in his coat pockets. With his fist closed around something he grinned at Jessie. 

"Thought you might want this back." and he let the green stone pendant dangle from it's chain. 

Startled, her hand went to her throat, thinking her pendant was still there. Sure enough it was gone. He cinched it around her throat and she pressed it against her heart in gratitude. 

"Thank you, Jonny." and she placed a chaste kiss against his lips, much to the astonishment of the newly returned trio and Estella, and much to Race's dismay. 

* * * 

Jessie sat in her hospital bed doing some minor stretching exercises to help pass the time. In four hours she would be allowed to go home, but until then she was bored out of her mind. Two days ago, at Christmas, her Mother had offered her a flannel jumpsuit. She was wearing it now, anything to have gotten out of the uncomfortable hospital issue nightgown. She flopped back down on her pillow and stared around the empty, Spartan room. She couldn't wait to see more familiar surroundings back at the Quest Compound. She toyed with her pendant as she suddenly began counting the tiles on her ceiling. She now understood the way her boyfriend had felt when he had been trapped in the hospital, in traction, for two months. 

"So, how many are there?" came Jonny Quest's voice from the doorway. 

"Four hundred six." 

She turned to smile at him, beckoning him over to her side with an outstretched hand. He smiled and took her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. His hand was still cold from the weather outside. He wore blue jeans and a white denim shirt under his leather winter jacket. On his feet were brown hiking boots, wet from melting snow. Over his shoulder was a black knapsack that bulged from its contents. 

"Tell me that bag has something more interesting than tile counting." 

He sat on the bed's edge, placing the book bag over his knees. "Everything you asked for, Gorgeous. Your coat, hiking boots, mitts, a brush, hair clip and elastic, two mirrors... I still don't get why you need two mirrors." he frowned. 

"So I can see the back of my head when I'm done, Silly. Help me out?" and she held the brush out to him. 

He took it, sat behind her, and began to carefully brush the tangles from her fiery hair. He helped her make a small ponytail on the crown of her head with part of her hair, tying it off with the hair clip, then proceeded to braid it all together. 

"Is it cold outside?" she asked, endeavoring for small talk. 

He shrugged as he finished. "No more than usual. Lots of sun so it should warm up before you get out of here. There is a warning of a snow storm, but it doesn't show yet. You still going shopping with Estella this afternoon?" 

"Yes." She smiled at him from over her shoulder. "I have something to make up for." He returned the smile and gently kissed her nape, causing her to shiver pleasantly. "Where're the others anyway?" 

"Race'll be here in a little bit. The doctors just want him to finish signing some paperwork. Hadji and Estella're with him to help him make sense of all that technical jargon. Dad's helping Addie and Barry at home, something about a big New Year's bash. They'll be here in about an hour." 

"My, so many people just to see little ol' me out of the hospital." 

"You're an important part in all our lives." 

"Some more than others." she purred, leaning back against his chest. "D'you make a New Year's resolution yet?" 

"Summed up in two words. _Carpe Diem_." 

"'Seize the day'. Is there a reason for that particular resolution?" 

He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was just thinking... We wasted so much time tiptoeing around our feelings for each other. I don't want to lose another second." 

She smiled slightly. "_The Guides_ had said something like that to me, that we wasted time. Kind of makes you wonder what we missed." 

"Too much. What about you, Love, what's your resolution?" 

Her smile broadened at his use of the name _Love_ to refer to her. "Nope. You're going to have to wait and see; maybe later on tonight if you're real good; and on New Year's; definitely on Valentine's Day; maybe Easter; definitely the 4th of July, you know, start our own fireworks; Halloween again; and definitely Christmas next year." 

"So many occasions to find out." he grinned. 

"_And_..." She chose her words carefully. "... most assuredly on _our_ honeymoon." 

"_Our_...?" He suddenly laughed and squeezed her close. "You're letting that _promise ring_ get to your head." and he lifted her hand to get another look at the ring on her finger. 

It was a gold band with two intertwined hearts, a small sapphire set in the center of one and an emerald set in the center of the other. He had offered it to her at Christmas, not long after their parents had left the room. He suddenly got a sly thought. 

"Do I _have_ to wait for those specific days to find out your resolution?" came his coy inquiry as he laced his fingers with hers. 

She chuckled softly, turning in his arms, and traced his lower lip with her finger. "You might get more opportunities, if you make it worth my while." she murmured with a sweet smile. 

He ginned lopsidedly. "I think I can guess what your resolution is." 

He pulled her close, claiming her lips momentarily. She then nuzzled her head beneath his chin as he held her tight. Race, Estella and Hadji arrived within moments. Doctor Quest, Addie and Barry came almost an hour later. Hadji sat at his friends' sides, sharing a knowing look, a look of slight dread. 

"You have decided to tell them?" he asked them softly. 

"It's for the best." Jonny replied. 

"Alright, what're you three planning?" Race suddenly demanded. 

They looked at the adults, then Jessie spoke. "We all have something to tell you. It dates back some two years." Puzzled and intrigued the adults settled in to listen. "I don't know if you remember, but back then, in the summer, we took the _Questor II_ to go to Nova Scotia." 

"I remember you three returning and being extremely quiet about your trip." Benton voiced. 

"For a good reason, Dad. Something _happened_ on the trip up. We ran aground an island that wasn't on any chart. All the nav computers went down at the same time we hit a _pea soup _fog." 

The young Sultan took up from there. "At that moment we encountered the island's sole inhabitant, a Mr. Paul Mornay. As it turned out, he and the island were ghostly apparitions. It was his way to set wrongs right again. We also saw the island's ghosts, Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. Jessie was possessed by Caroline's spirit and disappeared from sight." 

"I found her at a pond and she talked to me as if I was Jean Leger. Turns out Caroline had killed Jean in a fit of jealous insanity because of a letter to a shop girl he had written. His ghost killed her later on." 

"As Caroline I attacked Jonny, thinking he was Jean. We fought and Jean, I guess to even the odds, possessed Jonny." 

"They continued to fight as Caroline and Jean until Paul Mornay and I arrived. We managed to talk some sense into them where upon Caroline apologized to her fiancé. He, in turn, asked her forgiveness. That is when they..." Hadji looked to his friends in uncertainty. 

"That's when _we_..." Jonny found that he, too, could not continue. It was easier to tell their friends then their parents. 

"Well, what happened?" demanded Estella. 

Jessie took a deep breath and looked at the adults. "Jonny and I kissed." 

Race had a violent start at this revelation, but managed to control himself at the stern look he received from Estella. Jessie had long ago told her about this incident. Addie and Barry merely chuckled silently. Benton had a grin working at the corners of his mouth as he gave his Son a thoughtful look. 

"It wasn't you though. You were possessed." Benton stated, prompting them to continue. He knew there was more. 

Jonny hunched his shoulders, knowing the more Race knew the deeper Jonny's grave would be, but his Father was right with his prompting. 

"There's more." he admitted. 

Race's face was beginning to turn red with rage. Hadji gave his two friends a puzzled look. He didn't know about the _more_ part. 

"We... didn't exactly tell you everything that happened on that night back in August when we tracked in all that mud. We _did_ end up tackling each other, but we stayed outside a little longer than we said for a game of mud tag. Before, and after, we came back in we kissed and..." 

He knew this next piece of information could send Race charging for his throat. Mentally he braced himself for the blow. 

"... Jessie ended up spending the night in my room... with me." he quickly blurted out. 

As he had foreseen, Race shot to his feet and began his charge at Jonny. 

"Nothing happened, Daddy!" Jessie quickly defended, bolting as upright as she could get to shield her boyfriend. Race looked at her, waiting furiously for an explanation. "We... We just needed to be together that night. You know how it is, right?" 

Race was seething, but he valiantly fought back his Fatherly urges to ring Jonny's neck, for Jessie's sake. "Was that the only time anything like that happened?" The duo looked at each other, silently questioning each other on how much they should tell him. "I'll take that look as meaning no. When else?" 

"Um... well, there were the times when we danced the Bolero and the Mambo." she replied. 

"And things began getting kind of intense that time in Peru at Estella's dig." 

"On the night after the Halloween Dance we almost got out of control." 

"And at the White House..." 

Benton leapt to his feet. "The White House!? Jonny, Jessie, how could you?" 

They both looked away, sheepishly. "Love's a wave you have to ride out when it hits." was his Son's only reply. "But it's only gotten serious between us in the last five months." 

Race was becoming livid. "Five months! You kept your relationship hidden for five months!" he nearly shouted. 

"Because we both knew this was how you'd react, Dad. You have to let me grow up sometime." 

"I'll think about it." 

"Dad, this is not up for debate." 

"Just don't want my little girl to be taken advantage of." 

"Hardly. I can take care of myself. Besides, Jonny and I talk. We discuss things and come to agreements..." 

"... Have mutual respect?" probed Estella. 

A lopsided grin turned up the corners of Jonny's lips. "That's what kept us from going any farther than we have. I have too much respect for Jessie to ruin it all by doing something we might regret in the long run." 

"Sounds like you two really thought all this through." Benton stated in some visible astonishment. 

Jessie turned to smile at Jonny before turning back to the adults. "We both want this to work." 

"You could almost say we promised it to each other." Jonny concluded as his thumb skimmed over the promise ring on her finger. 

Soon after the doctor returned with her release papers and a wheelchair. She bundled herself up in her coat and allowed her Father to lift her off the bed to seat her in the wheelchair, but it was Jonny who actually wheeled her out of the hospital to Estella's car. He even sat her in the front passenger seat. Addie sat in the back seat. The men would go back to the Compound as the women would do some bonding through shopping. After a few tense moments of silence from Race, Jonny finally got him to crack a smile by promising to treat Jessie like a Queen at every second of the day until she threatened to deck him. Jonny suspected it was the part about him getting decked by Jessie that got Race to smile. The thought amused him too. Long hours passed in quiet inaction as the sounds of the wind steadily grew in intensity. The sky had even begun to cloud over. To everyone it seemed as if Jonny was waiting patiently, but that thought disappeared when the car returned some time after 7:30 PM. He was the first to race out the door to meet them and held Jessie up in his arms as if an eternity had gone by since he had last held her. 

"Took you long enough." he voiced as she giggled in his arms, snuggling close to him to try to avoid the frigid wind. 

Estella had a conspiring smile on her face. "We had to make one more stop before coming home. She still had one last thing to buy." 

He looked down at his girlfriend. "Really?" His tone implied he knew what the item in question was. 

"Yes, really." she replied. "I'll show you later tonight, okay?... when everyone's asleep." She added the last part as a whisper with a wink. 

"Can't wait." he grinned. 

He carried her into the house, as Barry retrieved the wheelchair from the trunk of the car, and set her down on the couch. Outside the snow was beginning to fall, kicked up into a maelstrom by the gusting winds. The adults greeted Jessie warmly, fussing over her as Jonny chuckled nearby. 

"Arrgh! Enough already! All of you, out! Out, before I put you all in the hospital to replace me! Out!!" This caused Jonny to double over in hysterics. 

Race frowned at him. "Watch it, bleach head." he warned as Jonny struggled to become serious again. 

"Hey! No one calls him _bleach head_ but me." Jessie scolded. Then the adults left. When Jonny was about to move away to sit in another chair she kept a hold on his hand. She smiled sweetly, giving his arm a tug. "No, you're not going anywhere." He relented with a knowing grin. She moved forward enough for him to sit behind her, then she leaned against his chest in a semi-lounging position, his arm wrapped around her waist. He rested his foot on the couch's cushion edge to make her more comfortable. A few quiet minutes went by. "Feels good to finally be home." she breathed blissfully, closing her eyes as she listened to the quiet and his heart beat. 

His hand toyed with a lock of her flame red hair as he brushed his lips against her temple. "Well, you sure made yourself feel at home." 

"You complaining?" she grinned, a shiver racing down her spine from his breath against her skin. 

"Hell, no!" he chuckled. "You can make yourself as comfortable as you want. I've waited three weeks for you to wake up just to bring you home again." 

She looked at her fidgeting hands, a sad look coming over her face. "And in that time I never got to give you your _real_ Christmas present." 

"You waking up was enough of a Christmas present. You giving yourself a guilt trip?" 

She smiled sheepishly, not looking up. "Maybe." 

"Don't. Only one person having a guilt trip at a time allowed in this house and I'm _still _living mine." 

She turned enough to face him and began to toy with one of the buttons of his shirt. "Seems we live in guilt more often than naught." She looked up into the blue depths of his eyes and smiled. "What say we make a clean start of it all. Another New Year's resolution starting now. No more guilt, no more pain. We pick up from where we left off and forget what happened." 

Jonny gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "Forget what?" and he leaned in towards her, claiming her lips in a warm embrace. She, more than willingly, returned the kiss. He let his hand slip beneath the hem of her shirt, gently touching the smooth skin of her waist in a feather like glide. He allowed himself a small, triumphant smile when he felt her suddenly shiver from the touch. "If the resolution's what I think it is I don't know if I can wait until tonight." he sighed against her lips. 

"You'll have to, unless you want the others to see us." she breathed. Then, grinning, "Kind of kinky when you think about it." 

He frowned a smirk. "Sick, too, if they end up watching. But I'm worried about something for tonight." 

She began to giggle at an evil thought. "Performance?" 

He had to chuckle. "No." Then, with a wicked smile, "I'm never worried about that." 

She laughed outright. "You're becoming Mr. Confident personified." she accused. 

He gave her a pained look, grinning. "You're condemning me without a trial." Then his features became serious. "But seriously, this is kind of important." 

"What?" she asked. He leaned his head back against the couch's backrest and Jessie could see he was struggling with the right words. That's when she understood what he was referring to. "Already been taken care of, Handsome. What do you think that little packet was the doctor gave me?" 

He grinned. "Always one step ahead of me." 

"Somebody has to." and she favored him with a sultry smile. Barking suddenly filled the Family Room as Bandit came bounding in. With a flying leap he landed squarely on Jessie's chest and licked at her face. "Bandit! Stop it, you dumb mutt!" she laughed from his unintentional tickle attack. "I'm happy to see you too! Hey! Jonny, call him off!" 

"Can't. I already called him Bandit." he joked. 

"Jonny!" 

"Okay, okay. Bandit, stop." The little white Pit bull sat back on his haunches and regarded Jessie, his tongue lolling out. Meanwhile, she was busy wiping at her face with her shirt sleeve. "Better?" 

"Much, thank you. Ugh! I'm really going to need that bath later on." 

"I might join you." he breathed coyly in her ear and she giggled. 

Before anything else could be said or done, there came a tremendously strong gust of wind and all the mansion's lights went out. Bandit yelped and leapt to the floor shortly before Jessie pressed herself closer to Jonny in shock. His arms held her close. 

"What happened?" 

She couldn't see him grin in mischief. "I'm not sure. I could be mistaken, but I think the lights went out." 

"Jerk." she giggled. 

"The power lines're down and the generator blew. It'll take most of tomorrow to fix it. Alright, if you two're making out right now, I want you to quit it before I start up the fireplace. I don't want to see it." came Race's voice through the pitch black. 

"Thanks for the idea, Race." 

"Keep your hands off her, Wise Guy. Not until I shed a little light on the matter." There was a small spark as a match was struck and within moments the fireplace roared to life with a warm fire. That's when Race turned to the duo on the couch. Jonny had his hands on the back of his head in a classic _waiting to be handcuffed_ pose. Jessie was lounging comfortably, leaning on his chest. "You two got comfortable right quick." 

Jonny pointed down at Jessie. "Actually, she did. I'm just her pillow." 

"You saying you're not comfortable?" she asked. 

"Never said that." 

"Implied." 

"Retracted. Apology?" 

"Accepted, of course." and she lightly warmed his lips with her own before smiling at him. 

Race looked confused. "Was that a fight?" 

The two teens looked at each other for a moment, then back at Race. ""Yes."" they replied nonchalantly. 

Race shook his head. "Man, you two have really got it bad." 

"Funny, that's what Barry said two months ago." Jonny smirked. 

Estella walked in with a large flashlight in hand. "Well, I haven't carried you in a few years, but I think I can manage. Ready for a bath?" 

But, before Jessie could sit up, Jonny gripped her shoulders to bring her ear close to his lips. "I'll set things up in your room." he whispered. 

She grinned knowingly as her Mother began carrying her upstairs to the bathroom. As she readied herself she sent her Mother to retrieve her _special purchase_. She set the bag in the bathroom and left as Jessie soaked in the tub's hot water. She scrubbed and shampooed vigorously until she felt truly clean once again. Jessie wanted to feel her best for later that night. She thought she heard the doorbell downstairs, but dismissed the thought. Long minutes later, after she had soaked in the warm water to her liking, she emerged, dried off and put on her purchase. She could only raise herself as high up as on her knees, but even that was painful. Behind the bathroom door was a large, full length mirror in which she looked herself over in the new... _outfit. _A giggle forced itself from her throatas she realized her Father would probably be very steamed if he ever found this outfit, but then a blush colored her skin at the thought of Jonny's reaction. He would love this and, most probably, love seeing her in it. She put on the short, light silk robe that had come with her purchase before putting on her heavier bath robe. She called for her Mother and was carried into her room. Estella stopped just within the door, causing Jessie to look around in awe. 

"Jonny did all this?" 

There were candles placed in strategic areas all around her room, fifty in all, casting a soft glow on everything. Red rose petals were scattered on her bed sheets and a bouquet of a dozen blood red roses lay on her pillow. The odor of comfrey and juniper scented candles and roses permeated the room pleasantly. A warmth, unlike anything she had ever felt before, invaded her soul. 

"The boy is completely crazy about you." Estella marveled, depositing Jessie on the center of the bed. Before any answer could be given her Mother quickly left, a smile on her face. Jessie caught sight of her wind-up clock on her night stand. 8:35 PM. 

Looking at the bouquet of roses Jessie noticed a small folded piece of paper. The words, _look under your pillow, Ace_ and _call me_ were neatly scrawled in Jonny's handwriting on the inside of it. She frowned, slightly puzzled, and reached under her pillows, pulling out a radio communication head set. A smile tugged at her lips as she understood this message. She removed her heavier bathrobe and then placed the head set over her head. "Ace to Hot Shot, you read me?" 

_"Loud and clear, Ace."_ came Jonny's voice from the ear piece. She could tell he was smiling._ "So, what do you think?"_

She gave the room another long, appreciative look. "I think, despite the macho persona you like flaunting around so much, at heart you are a hopeless romantic." 

She heard him laugh. _"Guilty as charged. Hey, I don't hear any music over there."_

"Duh, the power's out." 

He chuckled. _"I put batteries in your CD player, genius. The remote should be on your left." _She looked and sure enough it was on her night stand. She picked it up. _"It's already programmed. Turn it on."_ he urged. 

She did with a smirk. Toni Braxton's voice singing Breath Again softly spilled out of her speakers. Her smiled widened, silently thankful that all the rooms had long ago been sound proofed during the house's re-building, then an incredible rush of warmth, stronger than she had felt previously, invaded her as she realized another good reason why she was thankful for the sound proofing. "Mood music?" she asked coyly, not able to hide the arousal in her voice. 

He heard the different tone in her voice and breathed a soft chuckle. _"Mood enhancing music. No harm in a little of that, now is there."_

"No, no harm at all. Question." 

_"What_?" 

"When did you get the roses?" 

_"I ordered them when you were in town with your Mom and Addie. You like?"_

"I love them, thank you. I think all women are suckers for men who give them roses." She picked one up, gently brushing it against her lips, then noticed something on the stem. Or rather, the lack of something. "You had them all de-thorned!" 

_"Couldn't let you prick yourself to death."_

"This must have cost you a fortune." 

He made a dismissive sound at the statement. _"You're worth it, Jess."_

A pleasant shiver raced down her spine all the way to her toes. "Romantics of the world, watch out. Here comes Jonny Quest to claim the throne." 

_"I'd like to thank the Academy..."_ and they both laughed. 

"So, when are you coming over?" Her voice had dropped to a low, sultry hush. 

He breathed a soft chuckle._ "As soon as Race falls asleep. If he sees me heading over to your room right now you'll be short one boyfriend."_

"Never known you to back away in the sight of a little danger in any given situation. Kind of makes things more... oh, what's the word I'm looking for?... _exciting_." She breathed the last word to emphasize it. He chuckled again, in understanding. 

At this new song had started to play on her CD player, still from Toni Braxton's album. _"Oh, wait, he just closed his door. I think that's my cue I hear. Be right over."_

There was a click as he turned off his head set. She removed her head set, letting it carefully slip down to the floor to join her thick bathrobe, and began listening to the music he had called his _cue_. It was Candlelight. _Oh, how appropriate_, she smiled.   
  


"Lonely in bed, 

At night, 

And it never feels alright. 

I toss and turn, 

Each night, 

'Til the morning light. 

But just the thought of you 

Sends chills up and down my spine. 

Just knowing you'll be here real soon makes everything alright. 

Candlelight." 

Jonny silently opened the door and snuck in quickly, carefully shutting it again. He only wore the cotton pants to his pyjamas. In a painful move Jessie kneeled up, her short silk robe, emerald green in color, falling open in the process. He turned and froze at the sight of her. Her flaming red hair, cascading around her shoulders, seemed to capture the fires of every single candle in the room. Her green eyes twinkled brightly, their color rivaled only by the robe and the short, silk negligee of the same color she wore. The words of the song's chorus bore deeply into her heart at his stunned reaction. 

"Candlelight, 

It makes it special. 

Me and you on a rare occasion. 

Candlelight, 

A special night. 

Seeing you is a sweet sensation." 

The rest of the song seemed to fade in the background as he came to her side, taking her offered hands. He was still looking her over in stunned disbelief when he sat at her side. She loved the feel of his eyes traveling all over her. "You look absolutely beautiful." he breathed in awe. 

She blushed shyly, getting off her knees to be more comfortable, keeping herself close to him. "I was hoping you'd like it." 

"Like it? I'm... I'm... I'm floored!" 

She giggled softly, her breathing becoming more rapid, and leaned towards him slightly. "Why, Mr. Quest, have we suddenly developed a silver tongue of the nineties?" 

He leaned in towards her as well, a grin on his face. "What say we find out, Miss Bannon." 

She continued to giggle as his lips met hers, lightly at first, then heatedly, the songs chorus wrapping around them both. Slowly, sensuously, he explored her mouth as his hands came to rest on her shoulders. Her hand caressed his cheek, her touch light and teasing. She felt her silk robe slip off her shoulders, his hands following it down her arms to finally settle on her waist, pulling her closer. 

"Memories of you, 

Your arms baby, squeezing me close to you heart. 

Shadows in the dark baby, 

Of you, 

Loving, kissing every part. 

And knowing we can share it all and still be, 

Still be free, 

For each and every magic moment will last for eternity. 

Candlelight" 

He gently eased her down to her mattress, covering her with his own body, his hands traveling over her body. Silently, Jessie thrilled at the whole situation. Jonny released her mouth, his lips slowly traveling down the length of her throat, kissing the hollow between her collar bones. Her skin smelled and tasted of strawberries. She whimpered his name, almost coaxing him on, unconsciously arching up to him. He followed the plunging neckline of her negligee down with his lips and tongue, inter-spacing gentle nips on her smooth skin, then raised himself above her to see his results. She was completely breathless, her skin was taking on a deep blush. Her eyes glistened in the dim light, half open in ecstasy. 

"And my love for you will never fade away. 

I'll save a special spot for you baby, 

Always. 

Don't you know my heart had made for you 

a special place. 

Oh, don't you know, don't you know, don't you know baby, 

Call on me, 

When you want me, 

When you need me, 

I'm here for you" 

She suddenly grinned. "I take back everything I said earlier about performance." she breathed as she slid her hands down along his chest. "You kiss by the book." she quoted from _Romeo and Juliette_. 

"Then, pray, give me back my sin." he replied. He returned her grin and kissed her lips in a teasing fashion. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she forced him to his back. She beamed down at him as she straddled his waist, her pain suddenly forgotten as she drowned in the limpid pools that were his eyes. 

"My turn." she chuckled playfully, lacing her fingers with his to keep his arms pinned at either side of his head. 

"Candlelight. 

It makes it special. 

Me and you on a rare occasion. 

Candlelight. 

A special night. 

Seeing you is a sweet sensation." 

Her lips traveled from his mouth down his throat, torturingly slow, and then inter-spaced tender kisses all across his chest, her hair adding to the torture when it brushed against his skin like thousands of tiny fingers. Jonny tightened his hands on hers as she nipped at his chest, struggling to keep some form of self-control, biting his lower lip until he tasted his own blood. She had utter control over him, she was the aggressor. And he reveled in every second of it. She smiled when she suddenly felt him begin to tremble. Jessie knew she too was trembling, trembling in anticipation. When her lips returned to claim his, tasting his blood, he suddenly flipped her over to her back, pressing her down to the mattress with his own body. She was very acutely aware of his hands slowly easing the thin straps of her negligee over her shoulders. She sat up suddenly, breaking the contact, breathing deeply to slow her heartbeat. 

He sat up as well and gently touched her shoulder. "Jessie...?" he whispered, breathless as well. "If you want us to stop...?" She grinned at this. He was giving her a way out if she wanted it. She could take it and he would let her, even if it would be incredibly hard on him. 

"Candlelight. 

It makes it special. 

Me and you on a rare occasion. 

Candlelight. 

A special night. 

Seeing you is a sweet sensation." 

She shook her head and turned it slightly to smile an incredible smile at him. What she did next literally took his breath away. Her hands gripped the hem of the negligee and, in one fluid movement, she removed it only to toss it to the ground. Then she turned to him, almost as if she were presenting herself to him. His blue eyes widened slightly at her actions, then drank in her body's every perfect curve in the dim candlelight. "... Beautiful..." he breathed in a soft whisper. 

She draped her arms on his shoulders to bring him closer to herself. "No more words." she whispered against his lips as she pulled him down to the mattress with her. Her skin felt on fire where it came in contact with his. He pulled her thick blankets over them both, then pressed his warm hands against her ribs, near her breasts. Her voice dropped to a near hush, trembling slightly in anticipation. "No more holding back. Make love to me, Jonny." 

Jessie wasn't quite sure when it was exactly that he rid himself of his pyjama pants, not that she was worried. His hard shaft brushed her opening, sensitizing her every nerve ending with an almost electric shock. Then he was in her. She arched up to him unconsciously, pleasantly surprised at how incredible this felt. This was what she wanted and she knew he wanted this too or he would have never gone to the lengths he had. All she was aware of at that moment in time was the sensational love he was making to her. Never had either of them felt anything comparable to that moment. Every thrust brought about new sensations, each more intense than the first. When they felt neither of them could take much more of the intense emotions and sensations, everything came to a fierce, shuddering release. They swallowed each other's cries, holding each other tight. He felt as if he was being drained all the way from his toes. 

Panting for breath, as he collapsed atop of her, she murmured a steady litany of, "Oh God, oh God, oh God." 

Jonny kissed the side of her neck tenderly. "I love you, Jessie." he breathed, loud enough for her to hear. 

She managed a weak, elated smile. "I love you, Jonny." She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping his face pressed to the crook of her neck. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, slowing slightly. She gently threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed his brow. This was how she had always wanted it to be. "I want to hold on to this feeling forever." she sighed blissfully. 

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" 

The question held such innocence that it caused her to smile at the thought it gave her. "No, you were simply _incredible_." 

He laughed and raised up to look her in the eyes. "Now I know I love you." Then he smirked. "And you weren't so bad yourself." 

With a short laugh she cupped his face to gently claim his lips. "I love you." she breathed into his mouth. 

"Love you more." he grinned. 

"Not possible." she grinned. He shifted his weight to get off her, but her knees locked at his hips to hold him. "Stay. Please." 

He smirked. "You might get tired of me." 

She held his head against her shoulder, holding him tight, possessively. "I could never tire of you, not after this." she whispered. Jessie felt him smile against her skin as his arms tightened around her. With his comforting weight pressing down on her body she felt herself begin to doze. She smiled contentedly and let sleep come. 

* * * 

January 7th. Jonny Quest climbed the stairs to the mansion's second floor, worry etched into his features. His girlfriend, Jessie Bannon, had returned from physiotherapy some two minutes ago with her Mother and his Aunt. He had not been able to be with her, his Father needed all the men on the Compound to move some heavy equipment from the Lab to the _Dragonfly_. He remembered having apologized profusely to Jessie to which she had forced a grin and patted his cheek in forgiveness. She didn't laugh and the grin hadn't reached her eyes. He had wondered about that all through the loading and as he trudged through the snow from the Lab to the mansion. Estella had cornered Jonny as he re-entered the house and told him Jessie had been unusually quiet the whole trip to her physiotherapist and back. She had only broken the silence to ask to stop at the pharmacy for a few things, but then had lapsed back into her silence. 

This worried him. 

Usually she was bubbling with excitement when she returned from these sessions because it meant she was a day closer to walking on her own again. Reaching her door he knocked gently, then opened it. She was sitting on the center of her bed amidst numerous magazines and books. The last of the roses he had given her were in a crystal vase on her night stand. She was wearing a thick, white sweater and a pair of jeans. Her fiery red hair fell in long rivers about her shoulders. Her green eyes looked up when he walked in. Again she didn't smile. He sat next to her on her bed and took her hands. 

"You okay?" he asked. 

She nodded, then sighed heavily. "We need to talk." 

"Sure, what about?" 

"We... might have a problem... Tell me something, Jonny, have you ever thought about having kids?" 

He blinked, taken aback. "Uh... Yeah, someday. It'd be nice to have maybe one or two kids." Before he could ask the reason for this line of questioning he looked at the books and magazines strewn across her bed. _What the...? Baby Names, Baby Care, Expecting Mother: A Complete Guide?_ "Uh... Jess, I'm almost afraid to ask here, but what is all this?" 

She smiled sheepishly. "I'm a week and a half late." 

He stared, lost for a moment. "Late? Late for...?" Then it hit him like a brick. "What!?" he almost shouted. 

Her hand quickly covered his mouth as he hunched his shoulders, understanding the need for silence. Both of them saw Race pass the open door in the hall outside. 

"Shh. Not so loud." 

"Sorry. You said it was safe." 

"I thought it was. I could have been wrong." 

"But, are you sure about this?" 

"No, but we will be in about two minutes. God! This suspense is going to kill me." He stretched out on his stomach, facing the door, and started flipping through one of the books with a groan. She leaned on his back, her chin on his shoulder to read along with him. "How're we going to tell the others, without having Dad kill us in the process?" she asked after a moment of silence. 

"We'll figure something out, we usually do. And don't worry about Race killing you. After hearing the news the only dead one will be me and you know it. You are _his_ baby, after all." 

She chuckled. "Wouldn't be that bad, having kids that is. I always fancied the idea of being a Mother, either having a Daughter, or a Son,... or twins. 

"Twins!? Don't know about that. Two little monsters running around driving everyone nuts. Not to mention that they probably inherit our uncanny knack for getting into trouble." 

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Adventurer. If I remember right we had to come to your rescue at every turn." 

He chuckled. "Like you're any better. I'm starting to think we're going to have to get you a _kidnap me_ T-shirt. You really like the idea of being a parent, don't you?" 

She nodded. "You?" 

"Sure, but..." He sighed and shook his head. "Don't know if I'm cut out to be Daddy material." 

"Yeah, right." she countered, tightening her arms around him. "Look at you and Mica. You'll be a great Dad." 

"Naw, the only good parent between the two of us will be you. Think we can deal with it?" 

"Hey, if we can deal with saving the world every other week we can handle being parents. Though, I think I wouldn't be able to deal with the getting as big as a whale. It'll be like carrying a bowling ball in my stomach for nine months. Then, there's giving birth." 

He fought against the laughter bubbling up in him as he finished reading a paragraph and rolled to his back. She laid her cheek to his chest. "There's worse. Says here you'll go through mood swings that'll make PMS look like a walk in the park. You deal with getting huge, we'll have to deal with you being sweet one moment and a barracuda the next." She slapped his chest as they both laughed. Then, after a moment, "How much time left?" 

She looked at her watch and then reached for her crutches on the floor next to her bed. "It's time." They walked the short distance to the bathroom where she turned to him. "Go on downstairs. I'll come down and tell you the results." 

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" 

"I'll be okay. Go on." 

He could only nod due to the almost painful lump forming in his throat. Jonny waited just long enough for her to enter the bathroom before continuing on down the hall. Estella waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. "So, is she alright?" she asked. 

"I think so. She needed to talk." 

"And she couldn't tell me?" 

"It kind of involved me too. She'll be down in a bit." 

They entered the kitchen, where all the other family members had gathered, and he sat at the table. He was vaguely aware of the others talking around him while he toyed with the glass of cola before him. How was he going to break the news to them all if Jessie came down saying the test was positive? Race was joking with Estella not far away. Jonny watched them for a moment. Race would probably lunge at his throat at the news. Then he saw his Father stiffen at something he saw at the door. Jonny turned. There stood Jessie, holding on to the wall, but where were her crutches? For the first time in a long while he couldn't read her expression and it worried him. What worried him even more was the fact that she had come downstairs in seemingly such a rush that she left her crutches behind. 

He stood slowly. "Jess...?" 

She motioned him over and, when he stood in front of her, "It was negative." she stated in a hushed voice. "_It_ started." 

He gripped her shoulder at the sight of tears forming in her eyes. "Are you going to be alright?" 

"I... I don't know." He pulled her against himself, holding her tight in comfort. She willingly let herself be comforted, silent tears trailing down her cheeks. 

"Jonny, what's going on?" Race suddenly demanded. 

Jonny looked at him, still holding Jessie to his chest. He looked at all the gathered faces and then back down at Jessie. He shook his head suddenly. "Ask me again sometime." and, supporting her, he led Jessie back upstairs to her room. Hadji followed close behind. "You don't have to follow, Hadj." he told his friend as all three of them entered Jessie's room. 

"I do if I wish to learn what this is all about. May I be let in on this secret?" 

Jessie looked at the young Sultan, gauging what his possible reaction might be, then sighed heavily, turning to Jonny. "I left my crutches in the bathroom... with _the_ box." 

"I'll get them. You set him up." and he left. 

Jessie settled herself comfortably at the head of her bed, hugging Mr. Bear tight. Hadji sat and waited patiently at the foot of the bed. "Hadji, you know that Jonny and I have become close, right?" 

"Yes, and I must say that I am most happy to see that you have both wizened up to your feelings for each other." 

A small smile appeared. "That's the trouble, isn't it? Our feelings are getting to the point where we act first then think." 

"Old territory for me." Jonny announced as he appeared in the door. Placing the wooden crutches on the floor next to the bed he sat close to Jessie's side, trying to hide the small box in his hands. "A while back we acted before thinking and almost ran into a little problem." 

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Both his friends hesitated for a moment as if weighing the consequences. Then, Jonny tossed him the box. Catching it Hadji looked at the front of it. "Home pregnancy test? You're--!" 

Jessie shook her head sadly. "No, but it was close. I guess my body just needed to readjust after the accident." 

"I had no idea..." 

"And we'd like to keep it that way, ol' buddy." Jonny stated. 

"Like our ghost quest?" 

"Exactly." 

"Your Fathers will not like this. When do you plan to tell them?" 

"Don't know." Jessie replied frankly with a shrug. "Someday, but not now. My Dad would have a fit and I wouldn't hear the end of it with Mom." 

"Not to mention the fact that I'd end up dead in some really gruesome manner courtesy of one very mad Race Bannon. Let them get used to us going together first." 

"In that case I will remain silent. I do hope you are discussing the consequences of your actions?" 

"We will be now." 

"Then I will leave you to it. Good luck, my friends. Oh, and I propose you discretely rid yourselves of this box before any of the others find it." and he tossed the box back to Jonny before he left the room. 

They were silent for a long moment, looking at the empty box for the pregnancy test. "So, what happens now?" he asked tentatively. 

She sighed. "Now... I have no idea... No, that's not true. I have one idea, and it involves having a chat with Doctor Raimy." 

"Doctor Raimy? What about?" 

"A referral to a... gynaecologist." 

"Oh. Yikes. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. You want to call the Doc, or should I do it?" he inquired, picking up the phone on her night stand. 

She took the phone from him and began to dial. "Seeing as the appointment will be in my name, I'll call." She suddenly smirked. "I seriously doubt you need to see one. Close the door. I don't want Dad accidentally hearing this conversation." He did as told and returned to her side. "Hi, Doctor Raimy? It's Jessie Bannon... Yeah, I'm doing fine. I was wondering about something, though. You wouldn't happen to know a gynaecologist, preferably one who can be discrete?... You do!" She flashed a pleased smile at Jonny who grinned in response. Quickly she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "And she's a woman?... Perfect!... Doctor Maria Santos, 557-9281... Yes, thank you... And a belated Happy New Year to you too." With a quick flick of her thumb she cut the connection and began dialing the new number. Jonny gripped her hand tightly to keep her from shaking. "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment to see Doctor Santos... It's for a consultation... That would be just perfect... It's for Jessica Bannon..." 

* * * 

January 11th. The last class of the day was about to end and, somehow, Maya Vernessa had managed to avoid both Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon. But that had ended when this class had begun. She shared Physical Education with Jessie and this one was milking the situation for all it was worth. They were playing a game of Volleyball and, of course, they were on opposite teams. Maya's team was losing due to the fact that the entire Cheer leading squad made up that team. Seeing as his last class was a spare Jonny sat in on the gym class, on the wooden bleachers, to watch the game and the going ons. On occasion Jessie would pass him, flashing a sweet smile in his direction, or reaching out to touch his offered hand to have some physical contact with him. 

Jessie now stood at the serve line on the court's edge and grinned evilly as she power served the ball to the other side. They managed to hit it back to her side. Crysta set up the ball and Jessie spiked it viciously in Maya's direction. The blond shrieked in terror and barely ducked in time to avoid contact with the ball. They received victory cheers from their other team mates on the bench and pleased laughter from Jonny. Then, the final bell rang. 

"You really took it out on Maya there, sister." Tina Warshan voiced to Jessie when all the girls were in the locker room. 

"She deserved it, and more to come." 

Elaine Crench frowned in slight puzzlement at the shaking in Jessie's movements. "You nervous about something, girlfriend?" she asked as she fixed her sweater. 

"Probably about being alone with Jonny that long car ride home, eh, Chica?" Crysta teased. She was tying up her hair, waiting for her friends to finish getting dressed. 

Bannon frowned in mock annoyance as she pulled on her jeans. "Stifle, Crys. And, no, that's not it. I've got a doctor's appointment that's got me kind of nervous." 

"Nothing serious, I hope?" she was quick to ask. 

"No." She pulled on her sweater and fixed her hair. "It's just..." She suddenly giggled and sat on the bench in front of her locker, motioning her friends to come closer. "Can you guys keep a secret?" 

"Hey, it's us." Elaine stated. 

"The doctor I'm going to see... is a gynaecologist." 

"Whoa, hey, Chica, why?" came Crysta's inquiry. 

She hunched her shoulders at her friends anxious faces. "Well... You see, guys... Jonny and I... We, um, almost ran into a problem after we--" 

"Oh, stop right there, girlfriend. Too much info." Elaine interrupted. 

Maya overheard from the other aisle of lockers. She stormed to the other side, grabbed Jessie by the sweater collar, and rammed her up against the locker. "How _dare_ you take him from me!" she hissed. 

Jessie knocked her backwards to the floor, then she and her friends glared down at her. "Maya, once and for all, get it through that bleached blond thick head of yours. He was never yours to begin with. Besides, you know a guy since you were kids and things are bound to happen." and she slammed her locker shut to walk out of the locker room, closely followed by her friends. 

Jonny was leaning against a wall, wearing his winter bomber jacket over his white, button down shirt and faded blue jeans, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up slightly, giving her a version of his lopsided grin. 

"Hello, Handsome." she grinned, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

His arms held her close. "You look extremely pleased with yourself." 

"She should be, Blondie." Crysta began. "Or should I say _Future Daddy_?" 

Jonny had a stunned double take. "You told them!?" 

She pulled away from him. "Oh, you should talk! You told Todd, Ian and Derek." 

"They pumped it out of me when they saw how nervous I was this morning." 

"That's how I ended up telling them." 

"Oh. Well, then I apologize." 

"I'm sorry, too." and she stepped back into his arms. 

Elaine rubbed the back of her neck at the minor altercation. "Man, if only my fights with Derek were as easy to resolve." 

Jessie smiled slyly as he buried his face in her mane of fiery hair. "And this is only part of the making-up." she giggled. Her three friends walked away in stunned disbelief. 

Jonny faked a pleasantly surprised look. "There's more?" 

"Not until we have a chat with Doctor Santos." she admonished playfully. 

"Can wait. Now, why were you so pleased with yourself earlier?" 

She chuckled. "Maya got a small taste of phase one." she stated. 

He looked pained. "You started without me?" 

She patted his cheek softly. "Don't gripe. You'll have plenty of fun when we give her the rest of phase one. And God knows we'll both enjoy phase two and three." She pulled far enough out of his arms to take his hands and pull him along. "But first things first. We have someone to see and discuss things with." 

He held her book bag as she put on her bomber jacket. "If we can trust her I have a pretty important question to ask her." 

"About what?" she asked as they stepped outside. 

"The Dragon's Blood. If Doc Santos can't answer this question I'm going to have to go back to the Caves in India and talk to Drayca. If not, Dad'll have to be let in on the whole situation." 

"I think I can guess." 

"You know, we're getting good at that." he told her as he pinned her back against the passenger side of the car. 

"At what?" came her coy inquiry. 

"Guessing at what's on the other's mind." 

She put her arms around his neck, smiling sweetly. "Comes with being in love, Lover." 

"Mmm, that we are." and he leaned in to gently warm her lips with his own. 

They pulled apart, staying millimeters from each other. He saw her twinkling, emerald green eyes flicker to look over his shoulder before she suddenly grinned at him, mischievously. "Maya's watching." she whispered a giggle. 

With only his eyes Jonny looked down to the car door window. He could see Maya's reflection in the dark tinted glass. She was standing in the school's doorway, arms crossed over her chest in clear disapproval, a frown on her face. He chuckled wickedly, placing his hands on the sides of Jessie's rib cage, inside her open jacket. "Good." and he embraced Jessie rather passionately. 

Jessie felt her knees weaken and clung to him tightly to keep herself from falling over. She felt a sense of loss when he released her from the heated embrace. It took her an extra moment to regain her senses and her breath before giving him an impish grin. "For who's benefit was that for?" she questioned softly. 

"No one but us, Jessica my love." She chuckled as he opened the car door for her. "C'mon, we have an appointment to keep." and with that they both climbed into the black Viper and drove off. A few short minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. Jessie stood in front of the building's closed doors for a moment. Jonny came to her side. "Ready?" 

"No, but when has that ever stopped any of us, right?" With a resolute sigh she walked in with him close behind. He stood next to her, as she registered at the front desk, absently looking over the waiting area. There were a few women, some their age, and some with their significant others. Small couches lined the walls, big enough to accommodate two at a time. Magazine laden tables were in front of each. "You're coming in with me?" Jessie's tone was innocent, despite her efforts to make it sound otherwise. 

"Just you try and stop me." he assured, grinning at her. She grinned back in visible relief. They sat in one of the small couches, her hand gripping his in a death grip, tightening with each passing moment. He looked down at his blood drained fingers, then at Jessie. "I'm going to want that hand back later." he quipped. 

She turned to him sharply, then looked down at their joined hands. "Sorry." she apologized, releasing her grip on his hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in response, holding her close in comfort. A middle aged couple smiled at them from across the small room. "You know I was thinking--" 

"That's always good." 

"Oh, ha, ha, Quest. But seriously. If we ever did have kids, what would we name them?" 

"_Them_? As in, more than one? You're pushing it, Bannon." He leaned his head back in thought, banging it gently on the wall behind him. "Not quite sure about names. For a while I thought maybe Roger for a boy, you know, as a peace offering to Race. God knows if we don't do something like that he'd bury me alive, married or not." 

She chuckled. "And for a girl?" 

An air of disappointed surprise crossed his face. "There I'm drawing a blank. What do you think?" 

She gave him a wide grin. "I have the perfect name. It's kind of like a thank you to that person. I owe her for having you. Rachel." His eyes became tender when he smiled at her. "Think she'd mind?" 

"Not one bit. You were right, it's perfect." and he placed a gentle kiss on her temple. He suddenly began to chuckle. "Would you listen to us. We sound like an old married couple." 

"So when _is_ that going to happen?" came her coy inquiry. 

He grinned. "Nope. I want that to be a surprise." 

She looked slightly startled. "You mean you already have a ring?" 

"I've had the ring since I was nine, and everything else is planned. I just have to put it in motion when the time comes, and inform our Dads. When we're older, of course." 

"So, are you proposing?" she grinned. 

He returned the grin. "Not yet, but I will." 

"When will that be?" 

"When we're older." he repeated. "No use trying to pump it out of me, Jess. That time and place is being kept a total and absolute secret. You'll just have to wait." 

"What if we break up before then?" 

He faced her sharply, a shocked look coming over his face. "Don't even go there." 

* * * 

April 13th. Jessica Bannon looked up at the front of the class, specifically to the school clock. Two minutes left before school would officially let out for the summer. It was the third week of April, the sun was shining bright and warm outside, and not a trace of snow was left anywhere in Maine's coastal region. She wore a light, button down, white silk blouse and a short, green skirt. Her white sneakers tapped the floor anxiously. She could hear birds singing from the open window near by. Silently she willed the last two minutes to hurry up. 

Outside, Jonny was waiting for her. His last class had been a spare, he had written that final exam three school days ago, and he had told her he would wait at the school's front entrance. In preparation she had already gotten everything together in her bag, sitting next to her desk. Her final exam was finished and sitting on the teacher's desk. Physics was her strongest subject and she had finished it half an hour into the class. She found the rule of waiting until the bell to leave during an exam a very stupid, and boring, rule. 

She looked up again. 

Thirty seconds left. Jessie reached down to take hold of her bag. 

Fifteen seconds. 

She readied herself to pounce from her chair for the door. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. 

**RIIIIIING!!!**

Jessie had already been moving towards the door a split second before the bell rang. She dodge her friends, fellow classmates, and other students as she rushed for the school's main entrance. She burst through the main doors to the outside world, quickly leaping down the concrete steps into the arms of the man she loved more than life itself. He wore his regular blue jeans, but had opted for a light, button down, white, short sleeved shirt. Jonny staggered back slightly, absorbing her momentum, and crushed her to himself. 

"An hour and a half was too long." he breathed into her hair. 

"I know what you mean." and she pulled back to cup his face and taste his lips. He more than willingly returned the embrace. 

Short moments later they were joined by a group of their friends. The had all planned a trip together down to Florida and had managed to convince Doctor Benton Quest to allow them the use of the _Questor_, a eighty foot catamaran/yacht. Hadji would have joined them had he not had to return to Bangalore, India, for his term as Sultan. Departure date was that day. Race was down at the pier prepping the ship for them. They had already stowed their gear and supplies onboard a few days earlier. Those going with them were Crysta, Elaine and Tina of Jessie's friends and Todd, Derek and Ian of Jonny's friends. There was a mad dash for the group's two cars and they were off for the pier. Race was just stepping off the ship when they arrived from the secure parking facilities. 

He had started getting used to seeing Jessie, his Daughter, going out with Jonny. He had even slightly resolved himself to the fact that they were on kissing terms. After all, they had been officially dating for close to ten months now. There was absolutely nothing he could do about the situation. 

_Besides,_ he thought, _Jonny's not a bad kid. He'd rather kill himself then let anything happen to Jessie. I know they wouldn't do anything stupid._ He had no idea that they had progressed any farther. "Now, I want you kids to be careful out there. I want this ship and her crew back all in one piece, got that?" 

All eight teens saluted smartly. ""Yes, Sir!"" the stated in unison. 

"Very funny." he smirked, but saluted them none-the-less, an automatic response from his Covert Operation days. 

The teens boarded the stately ship and took their posts, Jonny at the wheel. All moorings were cast off and the ship easily glided out of it's docking to greet the sea. The ocean was kind to the small group of sailors, offering good winds and calm seas. Todd Andrews, the more novice seaman of the group, stood at the bow of the ship with Crysta, just staring at the vast expanse of water before them. The shore was just within sight on his right. He had a slightly frightened start when Jonny came down with Jessie from the Bridge to join his friends on deck. 

"Hey, who's sailing the ship?" he demanded. 

Jonny grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, buddy. It's on Auto. Dad installed one of his gadgets that can sense wind and current changes and compensate accordingly." 

"You sure it works?" 

Jessie grinned in amusement at Todd's squirming. "Doctor Quest is renown for the absolute reliability of his gadgets. It's one hundred percent foolproof. If it wasn't the Navy and Coast Guard wouldn't be mass producing them for their ships." 

Crysta patted Todd on the shoulder for added reassurance. "Chica and Blondie have several years of experience at sea under their belts, Boyfriend. Anything happens, they can handle it. Now just relax and enjoy the trip, will you?" He relaxed his shoulders and grinned as they walked towards the ship's lounge. 

Ian Welsh, Derek Martin, Elaine and Tina were already in the ship's lounge area when the rest of the group entered. Tina and Ian were engrossed in a particularly heated game of chess. Derek and Elaine were glued to the television, soon joined by Todd and Crysta when they noticed it was the all-movie channel from satellite TV. Except for the sounds of the movie, all was quiet. As Jessie sat in the window-length couch, her back to the bow of the ship, Jonny began towards the sleeping quarters. 

"Where're you going?" she asked him, puzzled. He merely turned, winked a grin, and kept going. He returned moments later, completely bare foot, carrying his guitar. "Should have known." she grinned as he sat at her side. "Couldn't resist, could you?" she teased, leaning on his shoulder as he tightened the strings in preparation to play. 

"The last time I played for you was on Valentine's Day..." His voice dropped to a low hush. "... and remember what happened then." 

She smiled knowingly. "I remember." 

"Yo, you two having second thoughts about bringing us along?" Ian called, not looking up from the chess game. 

"No. You guys deserved a vacation away from home as much as we did." Jonny assured. 

"Okay, but if I hear heavy breathing and moaning tonight I'm taking the dingy and paddling home." Elaine voiced. 

"You won't hear anything." he managed as he struggled to keep a straight face. 

Jessie wasn't able to keep herself from laughing. She was on the same train of thought he was. "The cabins are sound proofed." Jonny laughed along with her, unable to contain himself any longer, at the shocked faces their friends were giving them. 

* * * 

Lights disappeared outside as night fell. The chess game was abandoned, the players having long ago given up and gone to bed. The television was off, the watchers having turned in. Only Jessie and Jonny remained in the lounge as he played the soft chords of _Tara's Theme_ by Max Steiner. He had left a few minutes prior for some reason he wasn't telling her, a familiar grin tugging the corners of his mouth, then returned and continued playing. She listened to the music, half way between reality and a dream world, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. She had always loved the music he played. It was always soft, gentle, inviting, like he was. 

Almost sensual. 

_Did I really just think that?_ she wondered. 

He turned just enough to give her a lopsided grin before he changed the tune he was playing. She recognized it immediately. They had worked on this duet for quite some time. It was the same song they had serenaded each other with on Valentine's Day, _Hand in Hand_ by 98 Degrees. This was same song that had initiated their most passionate night together to date. He began to sing, softly. 

"One thing I'm sure of 

Is that we will always be, 

Even though the road 

Seems to get a little rough. 

It's for you I live, 

I can do anything 

And it will never be too much."   
  


"In my darkest hour you are there to light the way," she took up. 

"And when I'm down you always lift me up again. 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, 

You know me better than I know myself. 

You comfort me and let me know 

With you I'm gonna win."   
  


""Walk with me, 

Hand in hand. 

We will help each other understand 

How to go through. 

There will never be a day that we'll grow apart. 

So we'll forever be 

Together, hand in hand."" 

Still strumming the guitar strings he glanced lovingly at her. The moonlight streamed through the window and bounced off the water to create a silver dream scape. In this light she looked simply sublime. The fires of her hair weren't muted in the least, her bright emerald green eyes shone brightly, tenderly. No existing words could possibly come close to describing her. When they had practiced this song together it had felt so incredibly right. The words seemed to describe the relationship they shared as if it had been written especially for them. It had only been right that they sing it together. 

"Sometimes I'm wrong, 

And even in that case 

You didn't go away, 

You stayed right next to me. 

As time goes on 

I realize that you're for me. 

And I will love you for eternity."   
  


"In my darkest hour you are there to light the way, 

And when I'm down you always lift me up again. 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, 

You know me better than I know myself. 

You comfort me and let me know 

With you I'm gonna win."   
  


""Walk with me, 

Hand in hand. 

We will help each other understand 

How to go through. 

There will never be a day that we'll grow apart. 

So we'll forever be 

Together, hand in hand."" 

As his fingers played the last remaining chords, Jessie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, turning his face towards her. "Remember what happened the last time we did this song?" she breathed as she nuzzled his cheek. 

He chuckled softly. "Remind me?" he asked as her hand pushed the guitar out of the way. 

"Only a hint." she giggled. Her lips teased his before he claimed hers deeply. His hands found her waist and pulled her closer to himself. The guitar was completely forgotten. Suddenly he got to his feet, pulling her up along with him, and turned her back to himself. "What...?" 

"Shh. A surprise." he breathed, dropping a blindfold over her eyes. "Trust me." 

She smiled. "Always." Taking her hands he led her through the ships corridors towards the sleeping quarters. He stopped in-front of one door, long enough to open it wide, then backed through it, pulling Jessie along with him. She heard the door close softly behind her. The room smelled of comfrey, a bitter sweet smell that warmed her soul and her heart. "So when can I take off the blindfold?" she grinned as she was led forward a few steps and then turned around. 

"I don't know. I kind of like you this was, you know, helpless." 

"I'm hardly helpless, Quest." she smirked, removing the blindfold. She saw him against the door and heard a faint click as he locked it. "Scared I'm going to get away?" she teased and turned in place casually in order to see where it was he had brought her. She grinned again. This was his Father's cabin, the one he had shared many a night with Rachel Quest before her death, and the only cabin with a bed large enough to comfortably accommodate two. The bed sheets had been turned down and few candles were scattered around the room, glowing softly. 

"No, that someone might walk in accidentally." He came back to her and stood mere inches from her body. "We wouldn't want that." 

Her hands started working at the buttons of his shirt as his hands found her waist. "No, we most certainly wouldn't." One by one the buttons came undone to reveal the dragon design locket she had given him. Her eyes softened. "You're still wearing it." she breathed in slight surprise. 

"Why would I want to take it off?" he murmured. "You still have yours?" 

She smiled up at him lovingly and her fingers resumed the job of unbuttoning his shirt. "Why would I want to take it off?" she repeated, nearing the last button and pulling his shirt free of his jeans to let it fall to the ground. 

"I want to see." he stated playfully as he began to unbutton her blouse. Her hands rested at his waist, feeling the warmth of his skin, as he slowly undid every button of her blouse. 

He opened it wide, exposing her skin, her locket, and her bikini top. He eased the blouse off her shoulders ever so gently and let it float to the ground. He then took hold of the thin gold chain around her neck to follow it down to the green stone, letting the backs of his hands brush against the tender flesh of her chest. All Jessie could do was stand there and tremble. He leaned in, closing his mouth over hers in a deep, searching kiss. His hand passed behind her knees and lifted her up in his arms to deposit her on the double bed. From there his hands began to work at removing her skirt. But, before he could get too far, she flipped him over to his back, straddling his thighs. 

"No, you don't. I'm in control here." she grinned sweetly. 

He chuckled. "By all means." 

She giggled, locking her eyes with his glowing blue eyes as her hands continued to undress him. They both laughed, almost hysterically, as she struggled to pull off his jeans, leaving him in his boxer shorts. Finally succeeding she tossed the jeans in a corner of the room, then she lunged towards him, lying on his chest, still giggling. A mixture of a low growl and a laugh escaped his throat as he nibbled at her neck, wrapping his arms around her frame. She managed to take hold of his wrists and pin them at either side of his head. Her mouth leisurely traced a trail of liquid fire down the side of his throat, all across his chest, and low over his stomach before changing direction back towards his face, retracing the path she had taken with tiny, gentle nips. He struggled with himself to keep some form of self control, but it was a battle he was steadily losing. His breath suddenly gushed out of his lungs, unable to contain himself much longer. 

"Oh, God, Jess!" 

"Shh, patience." she breathed against his chest with a grin. 

She raised up to lightly tease his lips. His hands found the fasten and zipper to her skirt, undid them both, and gently eased it off her. It fell to the floor with the barest whisper of a sound. Ever so slowly his hands inched along her sides to just beneath her arms, sliding them across her back, then let them slide down to her waist. He pressed her close to himself as he sat up, bringing his knees up to her back to help keep her close. His blue eyes glowed fiercely in the dim moonlight, matched only by her emerald eyes. She watched his face carefully, gently touching the base of his jaw with her hands. He suddenly gave her his lopsided grin, his hands holding her on either side of her rib cage, then leaned in and gave her an open mouthed kiss on her heart. 

She let herself go limp under his glorious touch and leaned back over his knees. The position was just too inviting to him. Tantalizingly slow he skimmed his lips over her blushing skin, kissing the flesh of that warm valley between her breast. He continued lower still to the flat, firm surface of her stomach, before letting his hands take over. He watched her every delicious reaction. She arched up slightly as he slid his palms up her sides to her shoulders. She audibly gasped and gripped the bed sheets when his palms momentarily cupped her breast, electrifying her every nerve ending to life in the process. His hands stroked her smooth abdomen before coming to rest on her thighs, whereupon she sat up quickly to press herself to his chest. As he watched her hand reached behind her back and one-handedly untied the first knot of her bikini top. He removed the rest of it himself, holding her close. The rest of their clothes were quickly removed and in an instant he was in her. That was when she lost control. His hands and lips paid particular attention to every inch of her body, making her shiver in utter delight. She whimpered his name and bits of loving phrases as he raced her to the edge. Then, everything came to a violent, shuddering crescendo. He fell to his back with her on his chest in a heap, both breathless. Jonny kept his arms wrapped around her naked form, holding her ever so tenderly. 

Then, after a moment of silence, "Jess, you had said, on a scale of one to ten, Valentine's Day was a twelve." he panted. 

"And?" she struggled for breath. 

"One to ten." he grinned. 

She giggled in understanding. "Nothing less than a twenty." She looked down at him with tender, smiling eyes. "I love you so much, Jonny." 

"I've gone beyond that, Jess." He cupped her face. "I simply adore you." 

She smirked. "Only simply?" she whispered coyly. 

He drew her face in closer, brushing his lips against hers. "Totally and completely." he breathed and gently claimed her lips, letting his hands begin to travel over her body once again. 

She smiled into the embrace as she felt herself begin to respond to his touch. "My, you're frisky tonight." she chuckled. 

He began to chuckle as he flipped her over to pin her to the mattress with his body. "You complaining?" 

She wrapped her arms and legs around him. A sultry smile was on her lips as she brushed them to his. "Does it feel like I'm compl-- OH!" Her breath caught in her throat as he suddenly began the sensory explosion again, slowly pulling out then pushing back in. Self-control was lost. If she thought it were possible the moment was even more intense than the previous. She lay there for long moments when it was over, limp, with his comforting weight pressing her down. "You know what I said before?" He looked down at her heavily breathing form. "Nothing less than a twenty?" 

"Yeah?" he prompted. 

"I take that back. Nothing less than a fifty." 

He smiled and moved off her. Immediately she felt a sense of loss. In a fluid movement he grabbed the bed sheets from the foot of the bed and covered them both in the light, summer sheets. He then wrapped his arms around her warm body, pressing her back against his chest. There they lay, letting their racing heartbeats return to normal, relishing in the feel of each other's warm flesh. "Someday, I promise to make you the happiest woman alive." he breathed in a soft sigh against her ear. 

She caressed his bare arms. "I already am." 

Jonny smiled lopsidedly against her temple. "You ain't seen nothing yet." he assured. 

She smiled and molded herself to his chest as sleep crept over her. "You know what?" she asked softly. 

"What?" 

She could tell he was beginning to fall asleep. "I love you." 

His arms tightened around her. "I love you, too." 

* * * 

Jonny woke slowly, noticing the early morning light filtering through the room's small porthole. Immediately he noticed the lack of something when he skimmed his hand across the mattress. He was alone in the bed. Jessie was nowhere near. He sat up, pulling the sheets around his waist, and looked around. There was no one else in the room with him. 

"Jess...?" he questioned the room. 

"Shh." she hissed, coming back in the room with two cups of coffee. She wore a kimono-like silk bathrobe and was barefoot. "You'll wake the others." She closed the door with her foot and sat on the edge of the bed, handing him one of the cups. 

He took it and leaned on one arm for comfort, sipping at his coffee. "Where'd you go?" 

"To check our course. We're a day ahead of schedule." She suddenly grinned over the edge of her cup. "And I also made coffee." 

"To wake the others?" 

"And you. It worked." 

"No, actually, I woke up because you weren't here anymore." he smirked. 

"Aw." She leaned in towards him with a sweet smile. "My poor baby missed me for the few minutes I was gone." 

He returned the smile. "Missed you terribly." and he lightly kissed her lips. He then took both cups, placed them on the night stand, and wrapped her in his arms to pull her into a warm embrace. 

"The coffee'll get cold." she breathed into his mouth. 

"Forget the coffee." Jonny pulled her down to the mattress, exploring her mouth at a leisurely speed, his hands doing the same to her body. 

She began to giggle. "Mmm, no. The others will be up soon." But she soon succumbed when his hands began to free her of her bathrobe. Without warning she sat up, holding him down to the mattress. She smiled down at him, slightly breathless. "Much as I'd love to... Save it. We still have a day at sea left and we have to have something to pass the night." 

He grinned. "Tonight?" he chuckled. 

"You bet." she laughed. She closed her robe again, grabbed some clothes from the dresser, and disappeared into the room's private bathroom to let Jonny dress. He was just finishing to tuck his white T-shirt into his jean shorts when Jessie emerged from the bathroom to stand before the dresser's mirror. She, too, wore jean shorts with a dark green tank-top. She flashed him a sweet smile before beginning to brush the tangles out of her long red hair, pinning it back in places with hairpins. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and buried his face against her nape. She molded herself back against him with a blissful sigh. "What I wouldn't give to have an eternity of last night." she breathed. 

"You and me both." He squeezed her close momentarily before aiming her towards the door. "But, right now, we have ship duties to perform." 

She groaned and, holding his hand, let him lead her to the ship's Bridge. "Always something to do." 

Entering the Bridge they immediately heard an official sounding call from the ship's radio. Jonny quickly grabbed the radio headset and listened. Jessie took the wheel. 

_"This is Commander Charles Huard of the Frigate, USS Endeavor, of the United States Coast Guard_._ Unidentified ship, state your registration, captain, and destination."_

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "This is the _USS Questor_, QC 9924, Captain Jonathan Quest. On route to Palm Keys Quest Compound. What seems to be the problem, Commander?" 

_"We received word from Riker's Maximum Security State Penitentiary that one of their inmates escaped two days ago, Mr. Quest. We have reasons to believe that he trying to head South, for Guatemala. We're searching all ships heading South. Who's on board your vessel?"_

"We're eight, total. All seniors from Rockport High School in Maine. I can vouch for them. Who's the escapee? Maybe we can keep an eye out for him." 

_"I know better then to question the word of a Quest. Reports say it's a certain Kyle Merrick." _Jessie saw Jonny's face sour for some reason. She hadn't heard the conversation over the radio. 

"We know him. First sight we'll call you boys in. _Questor_ out." 

Jessie watched him carefully hook the headset back into place and lean back in deep thought on the navigation console. He was frowning at the floor. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

He looked up suddenly, as if snapping out of a trance. "You'll never guess who busted out of Riker's Island." She cocked her head, urging him to continue. "Kyle Merrick." 

Total shock registered on her face. Both she and Jonny had met Kyle Merrick shortly after their plane had crashed in the thick jungle of Brazil. There, they had been rescued and forcibly recruited into a covert Terrorist organization who used teenagers to do their dirty work. Merrick had been their team's Second-in-Command, along with his sister, and had held a grudge against Jonny for having become Team Leader, along with Jessie. Merrick had been the type of guy who got what he wanted no matter what, and that particular time he wanted Jessie. He had tried to rape her the first night they met, stopped only by Jonny. Subsequent times Merrick had tried to kill Jonny, failing each and every time. The only good thing that had happened from their encounter of him was that Jessie and Jonny had finally admitted to each other exactly how much they loved each other. 

"How'd he manage to get out of Riker's?" came her incredulous inquiry. 

"Who knows." he shrugged. "Coast Guard said he was on his way for Guatemala. I told them we'd keep an eye out just in case." 

"Please, let him not know about the Palm Keys Compound." she pleaded to the ceiling. 

He sighed heavily before suddenly smiling up at her. "Since we're a day ahead of schedule, how's about we stop in Miami for a day. You know, pick up some supplies, take in the night club life." 

She giggled. "I like the way you think, Captain Quest." 

He cocked his head. "If I'm Captain what does that make you?" 

"Commodore, of course." 

He laughed as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Oh, right, give yourself the higher rank." 

She merely grinned playfully. "Only fair. After all, I am older." 

"As you're so fond of reminding me." and he kissed her shoulder. "Alright, Commodore Bannon, what're your orders?" 

She turned to face him, forcing him to take the wheel and pinning her back against it. She smiled an incredible smile at him, a smile that left him weak in the knees. "For now, set sail for Miami, Captain Quest. I'll let you know if there's anything else." 

"Aye, aye, M'ame. Can the Captain ask a favor of his Commanding Officer?" 

"Of course." 

"Can the Commodore wake the rest of the rabble before they sleep the day away?" 

She gave his lips a quick kiss before ducking out of his arms. "I'll have them swabbing the decks before breakfast or I'll keel haul the lot of them." she quipped and then left the Bridge. 

Moments later a yawning Derek walked into the Bridge, giving the Navigation charts the once over. "Jessie tells me we're a day ahead of schedule." 

"Yup, and we've decided to stop off in Miami before going on to the Compound." 

"Cool. She was talking to Crysta about some Merrick guy. What's that about?" 

"Just a guy we know that we sent to Riker's." 

"Ow, remind me to stay on your good side." 

"No, it's not that. He tried to... well... let's just say he was better off in Riker's. Turns out he escaped two days ago and is supposedly on his way to Guatemala. He's bad news." 

"What about the Dragon's Blood thing, or whatever she said?" 

"Long story I might tell someday, but not yet." 

The hours ticked away quickly on the _Questor._ Each member on board was given a duty to preform which was done quickly and efficiently. Tina and Ian were assigned galley duty, preparing the meals and washing dishes mainly. Todd and Derek, being the mechanical experts, were given technical duties as in making sure the engines and other mechanical parts were at peak efficiency. Elaine and Crysta actually chose to do manual labor, making the beds and cleaning the windows and decks of the ship. Which left Jonny at the helm and Jessie as the Navigator and correspondent with the occasional passing Coast Guard ships. 

By noon time the crew of the _Questor_ began noticing the main sail of another ship following not far behind them. It grew steadily closer as the minutes passed. No name could be read on its hull, when it was near enough to see. It was a forty foot sailing vessel, powerful by the looks of its sleek lines and larger than needed sails. On deck was the crew. Having set the _Questor_ on auto pilot, Jonny watched its approach from starboard side. He frowned. The crew was much too large for such a small ship. He immediately began to feel something was wrong when he saw them holding ropes and hooks. The other ship drew nearer when he realized their intent. 

They were preparing to board them! 

He raced for the wheel, too late to escape. Within short minutes, off the coast of the island of Bermuda, the _Questor_ was taken. There was a slight scuffle between the boarders and Jessie and Jonny, but they were quickly over-powered by the more burly of the attackers. None too gently they were locked into one of the ship's cargo holds while the rest of the attackers secured the smaller ship behind the catamaran/yacht. As their six friends drifted around the small room, in fear and shock at the happenings, Jessie and Jonny searched the hold's contents for anything to help them escape. Nothing. 

Jessie could feel the panic welling inside her. Over and over her mind screamed that she was trapped in a small space where she was most likely going to end up dying. The harder she tried to fight against the panic the worse it became. Her frame shook slightly and she closed her eyes to try to steady her nerves. A hand gripped her shoulder and she whirled around in panicked surprise. There stood Jonny, a look of knowing concern in his eyes. Releasing a shaky breath she hugged her own sides and pressed her face to the warm crook of his neck, his arms closing around her tightly. 

"Claustrophobia?" he asked softly in her ear. She merely nodded and his arms tightened. 

Two hours passed in silence, except for the gentle hum of the ship's powerful engines. The hum soon dwindled signifying the ship was being docked somewhere. Then the engines were shut off. Short minutes later the same large goons that had locked them up in the first place returned and began ushering them out of the hold. Once on deck they could finally see where they were. It was a small rocky island with an ancient looking stone fort standing near the shoreline. The attackers forced them off the ship to shore. 

"Jonny, I need a distraction." Jessie whispered urgently at him. 

"Not a problem." 

In the blink of an eye he charged one of the goons in his best attempt to fein escape. Two attackers came to their compatriot's aide, viciously yanking Jonny off of him. Once off they proceeded in beating him. Jonny's friends were held back by the rest of the attackers who were eagerly enjoying the show. 

"STOP!" a woman's voice suddenly ordered. The men backed away, dragging the target of their beatings to his feet. "I don't want him damaged." the woman continued in a sickeningly sweet voice. 

He looked towards the deck of the _Questor_ and frowned in hatred. There stood Maya Vernessa, a pleased smile on her face, but that wasn't the reason for his frown. It was the man standing next to her. He had grown some in height and in muscle tone, but there was no mistaking who this person was. 

"Merrick!" he spat and fought the one restraining him to get to Kyle Merrick. 

This one smiled evilly. "Glad to see you too,... Lizard Boy." 

Jessie, too, had begun fighting the grip of the one holding her. "Should've known. Scum attracts scum." she spat. 

Kyle's smile became pleasant, almost victorious, when he looked at her. "Ah, Red. Always as quick witted as ever. Did you miss me?" 

"As much as a vivisection." 

He looked pained. "That really hurt, Red." 

"Good." 

He frowned. "Enough with the pleasantries." He turned to Maya. "Shall we lock them up, my dear?" 

Maya merely smiled and then nodded to her hired goons. They understood. None too gently, these ones took the eight prisoners inside the ancient structure. They shoved them down worn stone steps to a dank and dark lower floor. A few light bulbs were wired through the cold corridor, casting a dim light. The air smelled stale from age and salty from the ocean all around. New doors were hinged to the entrances of small rooms. These were clearly prison cells. All eight were ushered into one and roughly chained to the cold, damp walls. The manacles looked as new as the doors, roughly a meter and a half in length, enough to let one's arms come down to lower chest level when leaning against the wall. They were chained on the two opposing walls of the small cell, Jessie facing Jonny. Both of their multi-purposed Quest Watches were removed. Kyle came to stand before Jessie, a triumphant grin on his face as he gripped her chin in a restraining hold. He glanced at Jonny from over his shoulder. He was already beginning to strain against his chains towards him. 

"She's quite a prize. Looks like I've finally won, eh, Lizard Boy?" and he then leaned in to force a chokingly deep kiss on Jessie's mouth. She struggled as best she could against him as Jonny, full of rage, strained against his chains to stop Kyle. He couldn't quite reach him, missing about two meters. Kyle then pulled away, licking his lips in clear enjoyment, as a disgusted Jessie spat at the ground in a very clear display of what she thought of him. "I'm going to enjoy doing that, and more, every night of your life." he almost purred. 

She glared at him with all the hatred she possessed for him. "You forgot one thing. Winning hurts." With that she brought her knee up hard to his groin. When he double over in pain she brought her knee up again to connect with his chin, sending him sprawling backwards. Fighting the pain he got back to his feet and stumbled awkwardly out of the cell. The new looking door shut with a thud and a clank. 

Jonny looked to his girlfriend in concern. "You okay?" 

"I will be." 

He suddenly smirked. "Nice moves there, Ace." 

She smiled at him. "Could say the same to you for earlier, Hot Shot. Thanks." 

"_Ask and ye shall receive._" he quoted. "What did you need the distraction for anyway?" 

She quickly looked around the cell to make sure there were no listening devises. All she saw was one closed circuit camera, hanging from the ceiling, trained on them all. Satisfied it was the only devise in the cell, she turned back to Jonny. 

"I needed it to stick one of my hairpins in my mouth without being seen." 

"Way to go, Bannon." Ian praised softly as they all smiled at Jessie. 

"Didn't Kyle find it when he... um,... explored--" Crysta began. 

"Don't even say it!" Jessie interrupted. "My stomach's still queasy from it, don't make it worse. Needless to say, I kept it hidden from him. Anyone here know how to pick locks?" 

Jonny grinned. "Part of Race's _training_, along with _How to hot wire a car or any other kind of moving vehicle_. I was hoping someone was going to do something like that. They left me my pocket knife, but I can't quite reach it." She made a move to take the hairpin out of her mouth. "Don't!" She stopped, looking at him quizzically. "They'll see you throwing it. Plus, in this dim light, I'm not guaranteed to be able to catch it." 

Jessie thought a moment before grinning at him, a mischievous gleam in her ethereal green eyes. "Well, I can only see one other way to get the hairpin to you without _them_ seeing." 

Right away he knew what she was thinking and returned the sly grin. "No complaints." The others watched as they walked to the ends of their chains. They leaned towards each other, their lips meeting in a seemingly deep embrace. After a few seconds they pulled apart, keeping their faces close to each other. "We should do this more often." he whispered with a coy smile. 

She giggled slightly. "What? Get kidnaped?" 

"Must admit, it does add a little spice to one's life." 

"Didn't know you thought chains were so kinky." she quipped. He chuckled. 

"Hey! Do you two think we could get back to the business at hand, which is getting out of here?" Todd commented. The duo reluctantly pulled apart, leaning once again on the cold wall behind them. "So... Do you have it?" 

With a grin pulling back the corners of his mouth he took the hairpin between his teeth and showed it to his friends. 

Crysta couldn't contain herself. "Ooo, Mister Tongue." she laughed. 

"And just remember, he's mine." Jessie added with a sly grin. 

Jonny merely chuckled. He then took it out of his mouth and proceeded to work at the lock of the manacles at his wrists. There was a soft click and the first restraint popped open. Seconds later he was free. He quickly freed his friends at which point they used their chains to block the door from the inside. Climbing onto Jonny's shoulders, Jessie disconnected the closed circuit camera. 

"Now, what do we do?" Elaine asked anxiously. "That door won't hold them out forever. We're basically trapped here." 

"What I wouldn't give to have your Dragon half again, Blondie." Crysta voiced. 

A light seemed to come on in Jessie's mind. "That it! Crysta, you're a genius!" 

"I am? Oh, no, wait! That was just talk. I didn't really mean it." 

The others were confused. "What are you talking about? Didn't really mean what?" Ian demanded for the group. 

Jonny looked apprehensive. "Please, tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." 

"It's the only way I can see to get us all out." Jessie replied firmly. 

"But there's nothing here to reactivate it." 

"Yes, there is. Me. I still have the Quest Strain in my blood. It'll reactivate it. Your Dad told me that's how he cured you the second time, he put the Quest Strain in your blood into dormancy. Mine's still active." He continued to look apprehensive about the situation. "It's the only way." she pleaded, gripping his arms. 

He looked deep into her eyes, seeing the emotional struggle she was going through for just asking this of him. He pulled his pocket knife out of his pocket, unsheathing the double bladed knife. "You know there's a risk. It can go both ways." he warned. 

"I know, and I'll take that chance." 

"But can I put you through this?" 

"I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you that I'm taking the chance." and she held up her hand, palm out. "Let's do it." 

He released a resolute sigh. "Crysta, we'll need your help." She approached them hesitantly. He handed her the blade as he began to lace his fingers with Jessie's. "Hold the blade here, between our hands, the edges pointed towards the palms." he instructed. Crysta obeyed numbly as her friends' hands closed over it tightly, their eyes locked on each other's. Jessie winced slightly from the blade beginning to dig into her flesh. "Now, yank it out." 

"What?" 

"Do it!" 

She yanked it out of their hands as fast as their tight grip would allow. A small cry of pain escaped Jessie's lips as Jonny winced, his breath hissing between his teeth. Small, thin trickles of blood flowed down the lengths of their arms, dripping to the sandy floor upon reaching their elbows. From outside the cell they could hear Kyle and Maya shouting orders to their hired thugs. Todd, Derek, Ian, Elaine, and Tina braced their combined weight against the door to keep the thugs out as Crysta watched over her two friends. As she watched Jonny's face began to contort in pain, his body beginning to double over. Jessie, too, began to wince, though seemingly not in as much pain as Jonny. Crysta backed away from him just as the cell's door gave way. Kyle and Maya were at the front of the charge. They stopped dead at the sight of Jessie and Jonny falling to their knees in what looked like agony. A fire was invading their veins, painful, searing. Before everyone's horrified eyes Jonny began to visibly morph, to change from his normal human self to a Dragon hybrid. 

Kyle's face began to register apprehension at this. The last time he had seen Jonny Quest as a Dragon hybrid this one had tried to kill him. He would have succeeded too if Doctor Quest hadn't shown up when he did. He momentarily wondered why Jessie also seemed to be in pain, but the thought was quickly replaced by a self-preservation instinct in regards to Jonny. 

Maya, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified at the proceedings unfolding before her eyes. The one man who occupied her every thought day and night was turning into a monster, a lizard man. Her mind began to process why he was changing and every answer came back the same. Jessie was the cause of the change for the simple fact that her present actions mimicked his the closest. She too was in pain. Something within her snapped. 

The goons recovered from their first initial shock and had grabbed the six of the small group. Kyle grabbed Jessie, holding a knife to her throat, just as the change ended and Jonny straightened in all his new Dragon like glory. Jessie kept her face hidden in her hands as the pain subsided. 

"You come near me and I swear I'll kill her!" Kyle threatened, his voice betraying his fear. 

"Let her go, Merrick." he growled menacingly. 

"So you can kill me? Oh no, I think not. She's mine now. It may sound like a cliché, but I believe in the adage that _if I can't have her no one can_. And seeing as you all now know me, I can't let you leave. Alive, in any case." 

Jessie pulled her face out of her hands, looking at her palms in surprise. There was no cut, no scar from where the knife had been. She turned her hands over and saw patches of greenish gold scales on them and her arms. Touching her cheeks she felt more scales. Realization dawned on her. 

She stood ramrod straight. "You can't kill him." she voiced, looking to Jonny. He saw the scales and understood. 

"But I can kill you!" Maya shrieked as she lunged for Kyle's knife, plunging it deep into Jessie's chest when Kyle released her. 

She staggered in pain and in shock, hitting her back hard to the wall. Jonny came to her side, gripping her shoulders. For a moment she just stared at the butt of the knife, Maya's mad laughter of triumph shattering the thick, shocked silence. 

"You okay?" Jonny inquired softly. 

She smiled at him. "Hurts like the Dickens, but I'm okay." Jessie's hand closed over the handle as she gave Maya an evil grin. "I'm not dead." she cooed, pulling the blade out in one swift tug. 

Both Maya and Kyle took a fearful step back. Jonny began to grin evilly. "Sso, are you going to let our friendss go or do we have to make you?" One of the goons, who wasn't holding anyone, rushed at Jonny in the attempt at an attack. There was a quick flash of greenish gold that stopped the thug cold. A sickening gurgle escaped his throat as blood gushed down the front of his shirt. Then he dropped like a stone. Jonny looked to the other goons in the cell. "Any other takerss?" There was a sudden mad scramble as the hired thugs ran for their lives. He sighed heavily. "Now why can't that happen in more normal ssircumsstancess?" he questioned no one in particular. 

"Because in more normal circumstances you're not scary enough. You're just too cute." Jessie replied jokingly. 

"Oh, ha, ha, Bannon. Very funny." 

Todd suddenly looked around the now empty cell. "Hey, anyone see where Maya and Merrick disappeared to?" he voiced. 

Jonny cocked his head to one side, as if listening to something far away, and also sniffed at the air. A few seconds later a frown creased his brow. With a low growl he bolted from the cell, taking a sharp left down the corridor. Jessie was right on his heels. 

"Oh, no, you don't! Not without me!" she called as she ran. 

"Wait!" Ian cried. "What do we do?" 

"Go back to the ship!" she called back. "Get ready to cast off! We'll be there in a bit!" As she ran down the dark corridors she marveled at the changes the Dragon's Blood had caused in her. To her the darkness seemed as light as day, she could easily smell Maya's perfume like if she was standing right next to her, sounds were amplified. It was distracting. She understood now why it was Jonny had become unstable during his two previous changes. Rounding a corner she came face to face with Maya, holding a cinder block above her head. With a maniacal war cry she launched at Jessie. She ducked and lunged at Maya, knocking her to the ground. "What happened, Maya? Kyle leave you behind like a lost little puppy?" 

Maya shrieked, fighting wildly under Jessie's grip. "He was mine! You had no claim on him!" 

"You lost it, Maya! God, look at yourself!" 

Maya didn't hear her as her hands gripped Jessie's throat. "He was mine! Mine, you hear me? He's mine! Mine!" Jessie fought her, using her greatly increased strength, but Maya's madness increased her strength enough to match hers. "He's mi--!" Maya's face suddenly registered some sort of shock as she stiffened. With a sickening sucking of air noise she fell limp under her, her eyes open wide. 

Jessie looked at her for a long moment. Maya didn't move, didn't blink. "Maya?" She backed off and her hand went to her mouth in horror. A knife was planted deep in her chest. It was the knife she had been stabbed with herself, the knife she hadn't realized she still had in her hand. During the struggle she had accidentally stabbed Maya in the heart. Fighting shock Jessie got to her feet and listened hard to the silence around her, then bolted down the corridor. She had to find Jonny. She heard a cry from ahead that was suddenly cut short. Rounding a last corner she saw Jonny's back. He was standing over the twisted, almost mutilated form that once belonged to Kyle Merrick. "Jonny?" came her timid voice. He whirled around in surprised rage, prepared for another battle. He saw Jessie back away in fear and froze. All the instability that had been worked up during Merrick's chase and the battle with him melted away in shame. He backed away slowly, into a wall, unable to speak, looking down at his bloodied hand in slight horror. A long, awkward silence followed before Jessie shifted her weight to her other foot. "The others are waiting for us." she voiced. He didn't react. She quickly approached him and took his hands, sticky with ichor, and gave them a tug to get him to stand. "We have to go." 

Jonny looked at her pale hands gripping his blood covered scaly hands, then up at her face. She saw the look in his eyes. Incredulity at her acceptance. He stood, keeping his eyes locked with hers. Still holding hands they raced off down the corridor to where they remembered the stairs, leading to the surface, were. The sun had just set beneath the horizon, casting an orange dye over the land and Atlantic. None of the hired goons were in sight. The duo boarded the _Questor_ and cast off to freedom. 

"Where's Maya?" Crysta asked as the ship pulled away from the rocky shore. 

"She's dead." Jessie replied stiffly. 

No more questions were asked. Jonny suspected something had happened between her and Maya just prior to the death, but he voiced nothing. It took a few hours and a good wind to reach the Palm Keys Quest Compound. Once there the group split into pairs for the available rooms. Jonny and Jessie entered one of the guest bedrooms. Absently dropping her bags as she went, Jessie entered the bathroom and closed the door. Minutes later Jonny could hear the shower. He sat on the bed's edge and stared at his blood covered hands. 

"What have I done?" he breathed in horror. Through the bathroom door he began to hear a new sound. Crying. Jessie was crying. He got up and entered the small, steam filled room. He could hear her sobs clearly now. Her clothes were piled in a corner, thrown there absently when she had entered. Almost hesitantly he pulled the shower curtain back just a bit. "Jesss?" She was sitting in a tight ball, scalding water pouring over her heat impervious skin, rocking and shivering as she cried. He kneeled next to the tub and touched her bare shoulder. "Jesss, what'ss wrong?" 

"Can't seem to get warm." she stuttered softly. 

"It'ss sshock. Wait here." He disappeared for a moment, returning with a thick quilt a short while later. Turning off the shower he wrapped her naked form in the quilt, then lifted her up in his arms to carry her to the bed. There he gently deposited her on the bed and stretched out at her side to hold her shivering form tightly to his chest. "Tell me what happened, Jesss." 

"Only if you tell me what happened with you." 

He sighed heavily. "It wass India all over again. I losst it. There wass only the hunt and, ssince he fought, hiss death. The worsst thing iss I remember every ssecond of it... and enjoying it." He held her a little tighter. "Now, your turn." 

She had a long pause where the tears returned in full force. "I killed her, Jonny. I killed Maya." she sobbed. "Stabbed her without realizing it. I still had the knife in my hand when I ran after you. Maya was fighting me, trying to strangle me... I killed her." He gently kissed her forehead, then pressed her face to the crook of his neck. "I could deal with it when it was a nameless faces or an enemy,... but I knew her. We went to school with her." 

"Sshh. There wass nothing you could've done." he tried to soothe. "The way I ssee it you did the sschool a favor. Sshe wass assking for thiss ssince day one." 

She frowned slightly. "That's kind of a cruel thing for you to say." 

"I guesss, but it'ss true. I'm glad sshe'ss dead." 

Jessie backed away from him in shock, pain beginning to fill her mind. "You can't mean that." 

"Yess, I do. Sshe desserved what sshe got." 

The pain increased, spreading to the rest of her body. Her body wouldn't respond anymore. 

"No." she tried to wail, but choked on the word. 

Sounds became muted as she shut her eyes tight. Jonny's voice disappeared replaced by a sound of rushing wind in her ears. When the wind died down, replaced by a stiffness of limbs, she re-opened her eyes. The room was dark, the shaped around her blurry. This wasn't the Florida Compound. A shadow was framed in the window, the light hurting her eyes. She tried to speak. A garble was all that emerged. The shadow rushed to her bedside and tenderly cupped her face. Jonny's face came into focus. There was no sign of the Dragon's Blood in him. He was normal. 

"Jess, finally. I almost believed you'd never wake up." he breathed softly. 

"... w-... what...?" 

"Do you know where you are?" 

She looked around, her eyes beginning to focus again. "... hos-... hospital...?" 

"That right." 

"... how... l-... long...?" 

He hesitated for a moment. "A little over seven months." 

"... seven...?" 

Tears filled her eyes and began to flow down her cheeks. He cradled her face carefully, wiping her tears away. "Don't cry, Jess. Please, you don't ever need to cry." 

"... all... a dream..." she wept, unsure if it was out of relief or if it was sheer disappointment. The more she thought about it the more she realized that it had all felt too perfect to have been real. "... hold me..." she managed between tears. 

He quickly complied, kicking off his sneakers and carefully stretching out at her side. He nestled her body close to his side as he held her tight, quietly soothing away her tears. She desperately clutched his shirt to keep him near. She could smell his aftershave, a comforting scent after living a fantasy for so long. His strong arms cradled her form close, his lips tenderly kissing her tears away. After a long, quiet moment her tears subsided. 

"You want to tell me about your dream?" he asked gently. 

She paused, recollecting her thought. "It was about you... us..." 

"Oh? I'm intrigued. What about us?" 

She went quiet, unwilling to go on. 

He noticed. "What is it?" 

"In my dream it was Maya who caused my accident and, month later, she teamed up with Merrick who escaped from Rikers. The Dragon's Blood was reactivated and it affected me as well. You killed him and I killed Maya." 

His arms tightened. "It was all a dream." 

"I know, but it hurt." 

"Shh, it's alright." and he stroked her head and back caringly. "It never happened." 

"Dad chewing you out, after the incident with Surd on our first date, did happen though." 

He was shocked. "How did you know that?" 

"You told me, in the dream." 

"What else did I tell you?" 

"That we wasted a lot of time before we actually got together and that you love me as much as I love you." 

He smiled. "That I do. You going to be okay?" 

"I will if you keep loving me." 

She felt him smile against her temple. "Always." he breathed. Then, after a moment, he began to nuzzle her cheek, moving towards her lips. "I love you, Jess." he breathed into her mouth. 

Then, when he released her lips, "I love you, Jonny." She then nestled her head beneath his chin and dozed off in the comforting strength of his arms. This was finally real. 

* * * 

Another month had passed since Jessie had awakened from her long coma. Restless from remaining in bed her attending doctor finally relented into letting her begin her physiotherapy. Accompanied by the entire household, Race wheeled his Daughter's wheelchair in the hospital's small gym area for her second week of recovery. A nurse walked up to them with a smile on her face. 

"Well, none of the other recoverers have ever had an audience stick with them this long." she announced. 

"She's special to us." Jonny replied earnestly. Jessie took his hand and kissed the back of it gently. 

"Alright, then, are we ready to walk?" the nurse directed at Jessie. 

"I'll give it my best shot." 

"That's the spirit." 

Jessie screwed up her face in the semblance of an amused frown. "You are just too perky, you know that?" 

"It's in my job description." 

Hadji took the wheelchair away from Race and wheeled her up to the waist level parallel bars. With Jonny's help he got Jessie to her feet. She held on to the bars, supporting her weight on her arms. The men stayed at her either sides as she took her first painful steps. The nurse stood behind her, her hands at Jessie's waist in support. After a few steps Jessie stopped. Her eyes were shut tight in utter pain. 

"... I can't..." she cried. 

"You must try, Jessie." Hadji urged softly. 

"... hurts... can't..." 

"You must forget the pain. It is only a matter of placing one foot before the other." 

Jonny gripped her shoulder. "C'mon, Jess." 

"... too much... can't..." 

"It's alright, don't push her, boys." the nurse stated placatingly. 

Jonny quickly ducked under the bars to stand before her. His hands rested on hers comfortingly. "Jess, look at me." 

She raised her eyes to him. Tears trickled freely down her cheeks. It broke his heart, but he couldn't show it for her sake. 

"You were always telling me that when worst comes to worst you can't quit. Well, I'm telling you, you can't quit. You can do this. Just look at me, okay?" 

With a concentrated yet hesitant nod she looked him straight in the eye. He slipped his hands beneath hers, gripping them tightly, as she began walking again. The tears returned in full force, but on she walked, keeping her eyes locked with his. Each step sent jarring pain up her spine, threatening to numb her legs into cotton. 

"You can do it, Jess. Just a few more steps." he urged gently at every step along the way. 

Suddenly the pain got to much. Her legs refused to respond so she gratefully let herself drop with the knowledge that Jonny would catch her. He did just before she hit the ground, cradling her close as he eased her down to her knees. In an instant both teens were surrounded by their family members and the nurse. She felt Jonny begin to chuckle and looked up in response. 

"You did it." he told her. He pointed from where she came. "Look." 

She did and fell back against him on her rump in awe of her own accomplishment. She had managed to walk the entire ten meter length of the parallel bars. Her pain subsiding and completely exhausted she began to laugh, unsure why. Jonny's arms wrapped around her from behind and rocked her gently and she continued to laugh. 

* * * 

Boiling from the afternoon heat pouring into his window Jonny left his room and walked down the stairs. More like trudged down the stairs. The heat was stifling. He began thinking a swim in the pool out back would help when he suddenly stopped halfway down the stairs. Jonny could think of one person who could benefit from the swim more than him. Jessie. He nearly flew down the rest of the stairs and headed for the Family Room. He knew she would be there. She spent most of her days there, reading a book. He came into the door and stopped short. She was there, staring out a window at the beautiful day outside with a look of longing on her face. She looked like some beautiful work of art, so still, framed in the midday's bright sunlight. He just stood there and watched her. 

"What I wouldn't give to just _walk_ outside." she stated in acknowledgment of his presence. 

"Shouldn't be much longer. You've been in physio for almost two and a half months." 

"Never really appreciate something until it's gone... like walking." 

"How about a swim instead?" 

She looked at him with a genuine smile. "Sounds heavenly." 

He walked over to her, carefully lifting her up in his arms, and carried her up to her room. Estella Velasquez had stayed, stating she wanted to help her little girl heal no matter how long it took, and was coming out of one of the rooms with a pile of clothing in her arms. They met her at the top of the stairs. 

"Hey, kids." she greeted the teens. 

"Hey, Estella. Do you think you could help Jess change. We're going to take a swim to beat the heat." 

"Sure, no problem." 

Jessie leaned her head back with s short laugh. "God, I feel like some glorified Barbie doll." 

"Nah, you're a thousand times better looking than Barbie." Jonny assured as he carried her into her room and deposited her on her bed. 

She kept a hold on his collar. "Keep talking like that and I may never let you leave this room." she purred. 

"I like the sound of that." he replied on an equal tone and tenderly claimed her lips, an embrace she more than willingly returned. 

Estella suddenly cleared her throat. "Do you guys want me to leave?" 

"No, I'm the one who has to leave. See you in a few minutes, Jess." 

"You bet." and Jonny left the room for his own. 

He quickly changed into his swim trunks, grabbed a towel, and headed for the pool in the backyard. Hadji had gone back to India, due to an emergency, his Dad was locked away in the Lighthouse working on some new project and Race was in town on an errand for Estella. His Aunt Addie and Cousin Barry had also left for home. He threw his towel on one of the reclining lawn chairs and smiled as he dove under the cool waters. Estella was more understanding about his and Jessie's relationship. There was a little more freedom. 

He stayed underwater for a little longer, enjoying the silence and the cool water, then surfaced where he dove in. The water barely had time to clear from his eyes, as he raised himself on the pool's edge, did a soft pair of sweet lips press against his. He didn't have to wonder who this was. With a small smile he deeply returned the embrace until his lungs burned for air. He broke the embrace with reluctance. She smiled at him, caressing his face, as his eyes took her in completely. She wore a red, two piece swimsuit that tantalizingly left nothing to the imagination. 

"Are you aiming to cool off or increase the ambient temperature?" he questioned playfully. 

"What do you think?" she cooed. 

He chuckled. "In that suit I don't know what to think. C'mon, swimming is a good exercise for you right now. I want you walking ASAP." 

"Why's that?" she asked as she sat up on the pool's edge. 

He pushed off the edge to the center where he waited. "Wouldn't you like to know." 

She let herself drop into the water, completely submerging herself, and Jonny panicked for a moment until she resurfaced in a more shallow area, the water coming to just below her breasts. 

"You know, it's actually easier to walk in water." she stated as she took a few tentative steps. 

He swam towards her. "There's some good news. Tell me something, Jess." 

"Anything, you know that." 

He leaned back against the edge not far from her. "Apart from knowing about Maya culpability and what Race did after our botched first date, in your coma, what else did you dream about?" 

She heard the innocence in his voice and saw in written all over his face. She paused, collecting her thoughts as she swam around the pool before coming back to stand in the shallow end. He was waiting on her answer. 

"The entire thing was weird." she began. "I had a dream within a dream, something about an ancient belief of spirit guides and having each other's other half of our soul, or something like that. I dreamt I woke in time for Christmas--" 

"Something I was desperately hoping for." 

"--and that a couple days after that I came home. A little quick, I know, but I felt so okay with it that I didn't question. The same day, or should I say night, you and I did something my Dad would have killed us for doing." 

He was intrigued. "What did we do?" 

Jessie looked down at the water's surface, a shy smile forming on her lips. "We... um... we took the next step." 

Jonny just stared at her, the weight of her statement having hit him like a ton of bricks. "Next... step." he worded carefully as if making sure he had heard right. 

Still not meeting his eyes she began to trace idle patterns on the water's surface with one hand. "We..." She sighed suddenly and looked him straight in the eye. "We made love." Jessie finally blurted. 

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. "We made love." he repeated. 

She merely shrugged with a shy grin. 

"Just a second." and he dropped below the water's surface. 

When he didn't resurface right away she began to panic as she quickly made her way to where he had disappeared. She gripped his arm and pulled him back up. He splashed her accidentally as he surfaced. 

"Sorry, but I had to cool off." He leaned back against the edge looking very casual. A playful grin was on his lips. "So, was I any good?" 

She returned the grin, coming to stand closer to him, a giggle forcing its way out of her throat as she pressed her palms to his chest. "Let me put it to you this way. In my dream, since December twenty seventh to April thirteenth, a grand total of thirty two times." 

His arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. "Thirty two?" 

"Thirty two." 

"That good, hmm?" 

"Incredible." 

"I like the sound of that." Jonny pulled her closer so as to have her full length pressed against his own. "I think I might want to challenge those thirty two times someday." 

"Aren't you afraid of what my Dad'll do to you?" Her tone was innocent. 

He grinned and winked. "Not if we're careful." 

Jessie laid her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. "What I wouldn't give for just two hours away from prying eyes, two hours in your arms." She sighed, forlornly. "A moment of dreams." 

"You'll get that moment. That's a promise." 

"I know. I can hear it by how fast your heart's beating." She looked deep into his clear blue eyes in an almost pleading fashion. "God, Jonny, I want you so much." 

"Someday soon, My Love. Patience." he breathed against her lips. 

She managed to lock her knees against his hips. "You and I both know that isn't something we're terribly good at." 

He grinned as her lips teased his. "What would you have us do?" 

"Tempt fate." 

"Like we're doing now?" 

"This... and one step farther." 

"Just say when and where." 

"I'd love to say right now..." 

"But my Dad and Estella're not that far away with Race about to come home at any moment." he finished for her. 

"Wouldn't live long after something like that." she giggled. 

He chuckled in response. "No, we wouldn't." and they laughed. 

She looked his deep in his eyes, her fingers gently caressing his cheeks. "I want you so much it hurts." 

"I know." 

They looked at each other for a heartfelt moment, volumes being said in a vast expanse of silence, before their lips met hungrily. Jonny's mouth left hers to drink the water that clung to her neck and shoulders. She threw her head back with a soft gasp in ecstacy. 

"Ah-hrem!" came Race's voice from across the pool. "I thought Estella said you were swimming." 

Both teens looked at him, almost warily, but grinning impishly. "We're taking a break." Jonny offered. 

"Some break." 

"I'm making up for close to seven months of lost time, Dad." Jessie added. She turned back to Jonny. "Keep your calendar open, I'll let you know the time and place." she whispered. 

"Can't wait." 

They swam towards the edge where Race stood and Jonny leapt out. Jessie managed to pull herself out and sat on the edge, unable to stand on her own. Jonny easily lifted her up in his arms to carry her to the pool chair where both their towels were. After depositing her he sat at her feet. Race stood over them, waiting until his Daughter finished drying off her hair. 

"How're you feeling, Ponchita?" he asked his Daughter. 

"Tired of not being able to walk on my own... under certain circumstances of course." she stated, making a point to direct the rest of her statement at Jonny with a sweet grin. "I still have a little pain, but it's getting better. There are so many people who're caring for me." 

"You know, I was really scared for you, Jessie." he continued. "It was like Cairo all over again." 

Out of the corner of her eye Jessie saw Jonny look away in some sort of emotional pain. She didn't have to question why. She reached out and took her Father's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

"I'm not going anywhere, Daddy. Not for a long, long time." 

He smiled. "Thanks, Sweetie, I needed to hear that." 

"I know. It's one of those girl things." 

"Right." he chuckled. "I'm going to see if the Doc needs any help. You two behave." and he walked away. 

Jessie turned to her boyfriend who had remained silent throughout the exchange between her and her Father. He was looking at the ground as he dried himself off with his towel. She managed to move closer to him and leaned her chin on his shoulder. Jonny smiled sweetly at her before returning his eyes to the ground. She kissed the back of his shoulder. 

"Want to tell me what you're thinking about?" she questioned. 

"Cairo." 

"Not you too?" 

"Race might've been scared to lose his only Daughter, but I was terrified to lose the only person who understands me and who meant the world to me." 

Her eyes softened lovingly. "My, you really do know how to push all the right buttons." 

He turned to face her, his arms around her waist. "So long as you're around for me to push those buttons." 

Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forever and ever." she breathed against his lips. 

"I'll take that... and more if you let me." 

With heart aching tenderness he claimed her lips. Her whole body trembled from the feelings his touch was awakening in her. When their lips parted he crushed her close to himself, cradling her against his chest. She held him tight, not ever wanting to let go. 

* * * 

"C'mon, Jessie. Just one more rep." Estella urged. 

Jessie was in the Compound's Weight's Room, seated at one of the leg exercisers. The weight was at the lowest setting and even then she had difficulties lifting it. She lifted the weight with a groan, struggled to hold it in the air, and struggled even harder to slowly lower it back into place. Once down she fell back against the seat, breathing heavily from the exertion. 

"I knew you could do it, Sweetie." 

She gave her Mother a wary smile. "Thanks, Mom." 

"Greetings from downtown, Ladies!" Race suddenly announced from the mini gym's door. 

Behind him was Jonny, a bag in his hand. Jessie looked at him to which he merely winked with a knowing grin. She sat up straighter, understanding, as she returned his grin. He came up behind her, caressing her head tenderly. 

"How many did you do?" he asked gently. 

"Managed five sets." 

"Broke your old record." 

"Feels like I broke more than the record." 

Estella picked Jessie up in her arms. "A shower and a change and she'll be ready to hear all the news from town." 

"Uh, Mom, can you just leave me upstairs after I change. I'm a little tired." 

"Sure, Honey." and she walked off, carrying her. 

"Looks like you'll be telling Estella and Dad on your own." Jonny directed at Race as they walked back to the main part of the house. 

"Oh? And why's that?" 

"I still have e-mail backlog to answer. If anyone needs me I'll be in my room." and he headed upstairs as Race continued on to the Family Room. 

Jonny entered his room, kicked off his sneakers, and settled comfortably in the chair in front of his computer. Punching up his e-mail account he found sixty two messages waiting for him from various friends he had made on-line and around the world during his adventures. All pretty much had the same thing to say, where was he to not be answering his messages. Typing up one letter he e-mailed it, carbon copied, to everyone who had written to him. In it he explained his impromptu disappearing act and what was going on now. That finally done he logged off and crashed onto his bed, a book in hand. He barely had time to get through the chapter he was on before there came a knock on his door. He looked at the closed door with a puzzled frown. 

"Come in." 

The door swung open and in wheeled Jessie, now changed out of her sweat suit and into black jeans and a white T-shirt. Her flame red hair was still damp from her shower. He leapt off the bed towards her. 

"Should've told me you were coming here." he stated. 

"And have both my parents giving me the third degree about it? I think not." 

He shut the door behind her as she wheeled closer to the bed. He turned back to her in time to find her seated on the bed's edge, waiting for her pain to subside before making her next move. 

"Thought you said you were tired?" he questioned as he took his original spot before she had entered. 

Jessie pressed her cheek to his heart, her arms around his chest, as a soft sigh escaped her lips. "I am, but my room's too quiet to be in. Besides, it's much more comfortable here. Did Dad tell you he, Mom, and your Dad were going to Peru for a week or so? Mom's been away from the dig too long and our Dads are going to check if they can be of any help." 

"Yeah, he told me. That's what the bag's for." His tone was coy as he wrapped an arm around her. 

She giggled. "I guessed that much. When are they leaving?" 

"Later tonight, probably after supper." 

She made a small sound in acknowledgment to which he looked down at her. He face was turned up slightly, a content grin on her lips. 

"You comfy?" he asked, a smile in his voice. 

"Totally. Think I'm just going to take a catnap right here for a while, to the sound of your heartbeat. You mind?" 

"No, of course not. I'm just going to read a while." 

"What book?" came her sleepy inquiry. 

"Book one of _The Blood War_s _Trilogy_, _Blood Hostages_. I'm on chapter eleven. I'm a little surprised at it though. It's turning out to be a better book than I originally thought." 

He looked down and saw her eyes had closed. By the sound of her gentle, rhythmic breathing he could tell she was asleep. Jonny's arm tightened protectively around her, his other hand stroking her silky hair away from her face. Then, with a small smile, he reopened his book and began to read. Not being hungry he skipped supper and didn't have the heart to wake Jessie from her sleep. Doctor Quest came to check why his Son hadn't come down and now stood in the doorway. 

"How long has she been asleep like this?" he questioned his Son just loud enough to not wake Jessie. 

"Since earlier this afternoon. I couldn't bring myself to wake her." 

"That's alright. She needs all the rest she can get." 

"You guys leaving now?" 

"Yes, just a few more things to load on the _Dragonfly_ and we're off. You sure you two are going to be okay alone this time?" 

"Not a problem, Pop. I don't think we're going to be leaving the Compound until you get back. And we'll try not to trash the place." he grinned. 

"Just try to behave and I'll be happy with that." He gave the young couple a thoughtful look. "You two have really gotten close." 

Jonny grinned down at Jessie's sleeping form. "Yeah, we have." 

"Don't suppose I have to give you that Father/Son talk about the birds and the bees?" 

"If that's the talk where you tell me if we take the next step I should take precautions, then not to worry. Years of _after school specials_ and other such sitcoms have pretty much prepared me for everything life might throw at me. If there's anything else, believe me, you'll be the first to know." 

"Alright then. We'll be back in two weeks. Take care, Son." 

"Okay, Dad. Have a safe flight." and his Father left. 

About an hour later Jonny heard the _Dragonfly_'s engines and then the jet took off. The house was completely silent, save for the occasional patter of Bandit's paws and the incoming rumble of a thunder storm. The rain followed soon after. Some time after that Jessie stirred, then opened her eyes. She sat up, waking further. 

"Hey." he greeted. 

"Hey. What time is it?" she questioned. 

"Almost eight. That was some catnap." 

She stretched her arms up above her head, then stretched out at his side, both turning to face each other. His hand rested on her hip. "It was needed, though. Are they gone?" 

"Left at about seven." 

"What do we do now?" she questioned coyly. 

He grinned. "Up to you." 

She leaned over towards him. "I think you know what I want to do." 

He cupped her face. "I most certainly do." he breathed against her lips. With infinite tenderness he claimed her lips, exploring slowly. "You sure this is what you want, Jessie?" he asked as she nuzzled the base of his jaw. 

"Jonny, there is nothing I want more in life than for you to make love to me." 

"Nothing else?" he grinned, a shiver racing down his spine from her admission. 

"Something else, but that's more up to you." 

He began to chuckle. "C'mere, Beautiful." and he pulled her into his arms, pinning her to the mattress under him. "Do you know why I love you so much?" 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him sweetly. "Why?" 

"Because you're incredible... in everything." 

She giggled softly. "Words of honey from a silver tongue. One of the many things that attracted me to you." 

"Oh? It wasn't my good looks?" he quipped. 

She chuckled. "Apart from that. It was more your charms, your sense of adventure, your sensitivity..." She sighed. "I could go on." 

"Please do." 

"No, we have more interesting things to do right now." she replied coyly. 

He grinned. "We certainly do." 

She began to giggled as his hands freed her T-shirt from her jeans, lifting it up over her head to reveal the delicate lace of her bra. He dropped it to the floor as she managed to rid him of his own T-shirt. Her hands traveled over his chest in wonder. The skin was smooth, warm to the touch, and she thrilled from the sensation. His traced a trail of liquid fire down the length of her throat to her shoulders, then to the warm valley between her breast followed by the flat of her stomach. Jessie breath came in short, ragged gasps from his deliberately slow ministrations. Jonny's hands traveled over her body without restraint. Years of dreaming of this moment were now being put to the test. When his mouth returned to tease her lips her fingers raked down the length of his back, moving to his stomach, then she slid her hands to the growing bulge between his legs. He inhaled sharply and looked down at her. She merely smiled playfully. 

He chuckled. "Oh, so that's how you want to play." 

He began to nibble at her breasts through her bra as his hands reached behind her to undo the clasps. The straps slipped off her shoulders. A small cry of pleasure escaped her throat when his mouth finally found the tender flesh of her breast. She felt him working at the waist of her jeans which loosened soon after. With infinite tenderness he shoved them down past her hips, then pulled away from her long enough to tug her jeans off her legs. She sat up before he could lie down again. Keeping her eyes locked with his she undid his own jeans. Jessie saw the impish gleam in Jonny's eye just moments before he forced her down to her back with his body weight, his mouth closing over hers. With some wriggling on his part he was free of his pants. When he pulled away her first reaction was to grip the waist band of her underwear. His hands closed over hers to stop her. 

"Allow me, Ace." he murmured huskily. 

"By all means." she grinned. 

Inter-spacing nips and kisses down the length of her leg he eased the last remaining garment off her, then changed direction back up her leg. Her eyes flew open at the feel of his warm breath between her legs and she looked down at him. Sometime during his attention to her lower body he had rid himself of his boxers. He continued up her body, pausing at her breast to tease the nipples into taut buds, then claimed her lips. Her hands closed around his hard shaft, caressing its full length. Jonny then pulled away a moment to lean over the edge of the bed, reaching for the bag he had gotten earlier that day. He faced her, making a point of showing her the small shiny packet her now had in hand. Jessie bit her lower lip with a grin, taking the packet from him. 

"I'll do that." she giggled softly, opening the packet and pulling out the condom. "So when did you get so smart?" 

He began to chuckle. "The same time I fell in love with you. And I do love you." 

"Then you can prove it to me how much." she cooed, placing the condom on him. 

He eased into her until he felt some resistance. He looked at her. She nodded quickly, bracing herself by gripping his shoulders. He gave one quick thrust which caused a small, pained cry to escape her lips. He stopped. 

"I can stop...?" 

She gripped his face tenderly, pulling it towards her own. "Don't you dare stop now." 

With a small grin he began to rock forward and she was lost. This was real, after seven months of dreaming, this was finally real. She met his every thrust with perfect rhythm. His lips drank from her mouth and teased her breasts as she writhed beneath him. 

He suddenly smiled against her lips from an idea. "I'm gonna make you get some exercise. How's your balance?" he breathed. 

Before she could answer he flipped over to his back with her on top, straddling his hips. She giggled, suddenly understanding everything he was thinking and planning. 

"You've been watching one too many adult rated movies." she teased as she raised up slightly. 

"I like to think of them as educational films." 

"I don't know how long I can do this." 

He smiled. "Hold on to me. I'll help you." 

He held her hips, guiding her movements. Neither knew which feeling was more intense, seeing the other's naked body for the first time or making love to it. She threw her head back in ecstacy when his hands traveled up to cup her breast. She suddenly fell against his chest. 

"... I can't... It's too hard..." 

"Shh, it's alright, Jess." 

Jonny flipped over again so she ended up beneath him and began rocking again, racing her to the edge. Jessie could only gasp phrases or words as she felt herself nearing her peak. A startling white flashed before her eyes, her body going into violent spasms, her whole body responding solely to the climax with a cry of pure pleasure. He felt her tighten around his member as she peaked, his own climax coming moments later. Jonny collapsed atop of her, both teens breathing heavily from their ordeal. He riddled kisses across her collar bone and neck, enjoying the salty taste of her skin. Minutes passed before their breathing returned to normal. 

He looked down at her. "I hurt you." 

"It had to happen. I don't blame you." 

Jonny lightly kissed her lips. "Our relationship suffered so much pain and grief." 

She smiled gently. "Love's tests." 

"This almost makes up for it." 

"Almost?" 

"I still have that record of thirty two times to beat." 

"Not all in one night." 

"It'd be nice, but no. No sense killing ourselves in exhaustion, now is there?" 

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down towards her. "I'm not tired... Lover." 

He smiled and kissed her deeply. 

### THE END

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	3. Eclipse in San Francisco

**From the Author :** This turned out to be one of my shorter sequels, a romantic interlude if you will. I'll pick up the pace in the next story. 

### Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

May 21, 1998 

# Eclipse in San Francisco

by : Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet 

An _Air American_ 747 glided effortlessly through the air and thin clouds, West towards its destination; San Francisco International Airport, California. It had been a six hour flight from Portland, Maine, with no stop-overs. Departure time had been 6:15 AM. On board, grouped in the First Class section of the 747, was a group of thirty-four High School seniors from Rockport High School. Other than them there was only a small handful of adults as passengers or chaperons. A large number of these High School seniors chatted excitedly among themselves, this being their first trip away from Maine. The rest of them, veteran travelers, did their best to catch up on their sleep or simply relax before arriving in San Francisco. 

In the sixth row from the front, comfortably seated next to the window, sat Jonny Quest. In his lap sat a closed, battered paperback copy of _Prince of the City_ from the _Vampire : The Masquerade_ series. His clear blue eyes were watching the slowly thickening clouds pass by his small window as he ran a hand through his blond hair. There would be fog on the ground when the plane would land. The form sleeping in the seat next to him shifted and he turned to smiled down at her. 

Jessie Bannon was leaning comfortably on his shoulder, her fiery red hair framing her lovely features in rivers of fire. She dozed peacefully, completely at ease with her companion, her arms wrapped around his arm. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Deep down Jonny still couldn't believe that they were now a couple. 

A little over two years ago they had started to officially go out together, all preceded by what they term _the Dragon's Blood incident_ in India. During an attack on the Palace in Bangalore, India, Jonny had been mortally injured, beyond help except to a clan living in the mountains not too far from the Palace. Having suffered injuries similar to Jonny's at one time or another, these Children of the Dragon had shared the life giving blood of a real Dragon in order to survive. To save his life Doctor Quest had allowed the procedure. Jonny's DNA had been altered by the blood, as were the Children of the Dragon, now making him look like a Dragon hybrid, scales and all. It also caused a mental instability in him, where all sounds were increased in volume. The change was reversed at the time, but he suffered a relapse during his second to last year of school. Jessie had risked her life by staying with him. She loved him, she had told him as much, and he had reciprocated. Later, during their second year of dating, Jessie had suffered a life threatening accident of her own. She had remained in a coma for seven months and was two month in physiotherapy after that. During the entire time she was in a coma Jonny had remained at her side, afraid for her life. And for the two months of her physiotherapy he had also remained with her, encouraging her. That was when their relationship proceeded to the next step. They had become lovers. 

Jonny watched Jessie sleep for a moment more. Then, ever so gently, he brushed stray strands of her hair away from her face, his fingers tracing the soft edge of her face. She took a deep breath, waking from her light slumber. A pair of indescribable green eyes opened to smile up at him. 

"G'afternoon, Love." he greeted softly. "Or should I say morning?" 

She stretched her arms up over her head, curbing her back inwards, then dropping her arms back to her sides, gazing tenderly at him. 

"What time is it, Lover?" 

"Almost twelve, Atlantic time. That would make it almost eight in the morning here." 

"No wonder I was so tired. How do you do it?" 

"Do what?" 

"Stay awake for days on end and not be tired?" 

He flicked a lock of his hair aside with a dramatic flourish, looking towards the front of the plane. "It's a gift." he stated with nonchalance. 

She giggled at his theatrics. "C'mon, Quest, fess up. You've been taking pep pills, right?" 

"No, actually, it's all natural insomnia. Besides, Bannon, the only pep pills in the house are in _your_ room." 

Actual nervous fear registered on her face as she gripped his arm. "Don't tell my Dad I have them." she pleaded. 

"I'll just hold on to that juicy little tidbit of info as blackmail. Sort of like you holding the Questworld upgrades against me." he teased. 

"You are so cruel, Jonathan Quest." she accused, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from him. 

"Just returning the favor." 

He looked at her, his expression softening. 

_Even angry she's beautiful_, he thought with a slight smile. 

Then seriousness and worry replaced the smile. "But seriously, Jess, you're not really taking those things, are you?" 

She didn't turn and remained silent. 

"C'mon, Jess." 

Again silence. 

_Oh, so that's how you want to play, is it?_ he mused with a smirk. 

He reached over and forced her face towards himself, giving her to one smile he knew she couldn't resist; a lopsided grin. The workings of a smile began to appear on her face which she tried to fight. It was a fight she was steadily losing. She turned her face away again, as she fought the smile, and tried to ignore him. 

"Is that a smile?" he questioned coyly. 

"No." Her attempt at keeping a straight was failing. 

He ever so gently ran his fingers along the skin of her arm. Her green tank-top couldn't hide the shiver and goose bumps that followed. Jessie couldn't bring herself to shrug his hand away. Jonny took that as an invitation to let his hand slip across her throat to one-handedly cup her face, turning it back towards himself. Her smile came easily when his lips touched her cheek. He then looked at her, staring intently into her eyes. 

"Forgiven?" 

"I'll let you know." she replied coyly. 

"At least let's say we're even on this. You forget about the upgrade incidents and I'll forget about the pep pills. Deal?" 

"Deal." 

"Incidentally, you're not taking any, are you?" 

She looked away at her hands in shame. "I did, once. Remember that Physics Exam I was having trouble studying for last year? I took some to help keep me awake so I could study longer. I had what I guess was a bad trip." 

He wrapped his arms around her in response to this admission. "I guess we all have to experience it at one time or another. Sorry I bugged you about it." 

"It's okay." She smiled up at him sweetly. "I could never stay mad at you for very long anyway." 

"Wanna know something, though?" he questioned, again with a lopsided grin. She looked at him with a quizzical expression. "You're beautiful when you're mad." 

Jessie smiled, her heart melting as it had done two years ago. A soft pinging sound from the front of the plane cut through their little world and caught everyone's attention. A female flight attendant stood at the front of the compartment, a pleasant smile on her face, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are in our final approach to beautiful San Francisco. The ground temperature is seventeen degrees Celsius and the National Weather Bureau predicts fog for the next four days. Please put your trays up, return your seats to their upright positions, and fasten your seatbelts. Please, enjoy your sat in San Francisco and thank you for flying _Air American_." 

Jessie turned back to Jonny and smiled sweetly at him. "Save that thought for later, Hot Shot." 

"How much later Ace?" 

"I'll let you know." and she lightly kissed his lips. 

Within moments the San Francisco International Airport's runway landing lights came into view though the thick ground fog. With hardly a perceivable bump the large 747 landed, then taxied to its position at the terminal. The people and crew quickly disembarked, retrieving their bags at the baggage claim as they went. The students from Rockport High School then grouped together with their teachers and chaperons, then piled into a waiting tour bus at the front entrance. Jessie got to the window seat before Jonny could and they sat hand in hand. 

"This place kind of reminds me of New Orleans with all this fog." he suddenly voiced. "Remember?" 

"I'm trying not to. We're still not sure Elise actually died, there was no body found." 

"Well, the way I see it, if she or anything else resembling her _battiness_ hasn't been seen in over five years then she's dead." 

She had to nod in agreement. "So, tell me something, Jonny. How did you manage to talk our chaperons into letting us stay in the same room?" 

He grinned. "Would you believe our Dads helped?" 

"What?" 

"They explained that on trips we often stayed in the same room and nothing ever happened." 

"But that was before we... you know." 

His voice became coy as he leaned towards her in a conspiring manner. "They don't know that." 

She began to giggle. "Oh, you're horrible!" 

"And you love me for it." 

She leaned in towards him, lowering her voice. "Despite it, you mean. You are right about one thing though." 

"That being?" 

"I love you." 

He leaned in closer. "Love you, too." and he claimed her lips. 

"Hey, hey, hey, break it up you two." Crysta Robertson, one of their long time friends, interrupted from the other side of the aisle. "If the teacher sees you two at it you can forget about sharing a room." 

"Mm, she's right, Jess." he stated, reluctantly breaking the embrace. "Besides, we need _something _to do tonight." he grinned. 

"It's a date then." she chuckled and they sat back in their seats. 

"Can I ask you guys something?" Crysta suddenly asked them. "What was that stuff I heard from you two just now about New Orleans and some lady named Elise?" 

Jessie's smile fell away at the mention of Elise. 

"She's gone, Jess." Jonny assured, patting her knee, before tuning back to Crysta. "Has to do with one of our _special adventures_. Elise... wasn't human, well, not completely." 

"What do you mean?" 

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with an explanation. "I guess, the best way to describe her would be to call her a parasitic vampire. Silver kills whatever they are. She drained people dry to stay young and changed body every fifty years during a very specific total lunar eclipse. A Harvest Moon eclipse." 

"Like the one happening here in a few days?" 

"Right." 

"And what did that have to do with you guys?" 

"Elise went after Jess as her new body and hypnotized Hadji into getting Jess for her." 

"Ouch, harsh. She... it... dead?" 

Jessie sighed heavily. "We don't really know for sure." she replied. "A silver tipped spear caught her in the leg and she fell into the Mississippi, but we never found a body." 

"But she doesn't have a body anymore, that's for sure." Jonny added. "She kind of looks like an overgrown bat with a bad disposition." 

"Well, something that looks like that'll be easy to spot coming at you." Crysta admitted. "But if you say you haven't seen it since then, then forget about it and enjoy the trip. Two weeks away from nagging parents, homework, and assignments. This is a vacation within school. Kick back, relax, enjoy it." 

Jessie began to laugh. "I think you're the only person I've ever met who can find the good thing to every situation, Crysta." 

Both Jonny and Crysta laughed with her. "Someone has to." the eccentric blond girl replied. "What would be the point otherwise?" 

Jessie smirked at her, settled back against Jonny's side, and watched the buildings speed by with the Bay in the distance, partly hidden by fog. Crysta was right. She was letting things that happened in the past resurface to bring down her high spirits. Besides, she was away from her Father, with the man she loved, and no one would ruin the day for her. Two weeks. Nothing would happen. 

* * * 

_That little redhead doesn't see me. Good. I'd hate to ruin my surprise. She doesn't realize how short her visit here will be. The man with her could be useful to me this time around, along with the General. He's an asset I'm might keep around after I'm finished here. Enjoy your stay in San Francisco, Jessica Bannon and Jonathan Quest. Vostok and I will be seeing you shortly._

* * * 

"Okay, Jessie, Jonny, here's the key to your room. Remember, I'm only doing this because I have your Fathers' approvals and assurances that you'll behave." 

"Not a problem, Miss Green." Jessie assured with a bright smile as Jonny snatched the key and headed for one of the doors. 

Carrying her bags she walked in just behind him. He waited by the door as she took in her new surroundings. The room wasn't very large, but it was cozy. There were two double beds, a small sitting area, a private bathroom complete with a stand alone bathtub and a glass shower, and large veranda windows blocked off by a waist high, wrought iron railing. Everything was colored in delicate cream whites and bright reds. 

"Wow! You sure they didn't give us the Ambassadorial Suite? Would you get a load of this room." she marveled. 

"I'm busy looking at something else right now." he replied as she heard the door click shut. 

Before she could turn around his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, lifting her off the ground. She shrieked in surprise as he pulled her down with him onto the nearest bed. She mock struggled for a moment until his lips met hers. He explored her mouth slowly, deeply, as his hand paid attention to every curve on her body. She was responding to his touch, her arms wrapped around his neck, her knees locking against his hips. His hands slid under her tank top, caressing her tender flesh. A knock at the door destroyed the moment. Jonny dropped his face to the crook of her neck with an annoyed sigh. Jessie touched his face tenderly in sympathy. 

"Later." she breathed. 

He lightly kissed her lips before getting off her and going to the door. He paused just long enough for Jessie to tuck her shirt back into her jeans, then opened the door. It was Miss Green. 

Jonny smirked. "Checking up on us?" 

"That and asking you guys to join the rest of us down in the lobby. We have some sites to see before you're allowed to rest for tonight." 

With an exaggerated bow he held his hand out to Jessie. "After you, My Lady Caroline." 

Giggling, Jessie stood and curtsied. "You're too kind, My Lord Jean." 

Followed by Miss Green's puzzled expression the two Rockport seniors left the room, arm-in-arm, for the lobby three floors below. The group of students left the hotel, on the corner of Third Street and Market Street, and proceeded to the Fort Point National Historical Site. Military personnel from the neighboring Presidio of San Francisco Military Reservation droned on for over an hour about the history of the Fort. At the back of the group Crysta stood with Jessie and Jonny. Todd Andrews, Crysta's boyfriend, joined them shortly. He was well built, a football player type, a full head and a half taller than Jessie and Jonny. Not the type you would expect to see playing basketball. 

"Is it me or is this wholly boring." Todd voiced. 

Jessie was leaning back on Jonny's chest, wrapped in his arms comfortably. His chin was resting on her shoulder. 

"It's not you." she stated with a small grin. 

"How much more can these guys go on talking?" Crysta muttered. 

"Endless speeches is in their training." Jonny quipped. 

Jessie molded herself back against him with a slight chuckle. "I think I see a tourist who wishes she was me." she whispered. 

"What? Who?" 

"The platinum blond over there. She keeps looking at you." 

"You sure it's not you?" he joked. 

"Ha, ha, Quest. No, it's you. She's been staring since you stepped off the bus." 

He sighed heavily. "I don't mean to be appealing to the opposite sex." 

She turned to face him, her arms wrapping tenderly around his neck. "And yet you are, but you're mine." 

"Whole heartedly, Beautiful." and he claimed her lips. 

They heard Crysta begin to laugh. "Jess, you had that girl pegged, girlfriend." she laughed. The duo pulled apart and looked at their friend. "No sooner did you guys lip lock did she huff and give you guys the evil eye." 

Jessie had a start. "Whoa, didn't think I was that good." 

Jonny smirked at a sly thought. "You're better than good, Ace." 

Todd backed away, holding his hands up in defense. "Hey, I don't want hear this. Too much info." 

"Chicken." he accused. 

"Oh, say that again, twerp." he replied playfully, preparing to throw a punch. 

Jonny released Jessie and took up a mock defensive posture, an impish grin on his face. "Chicken." and he made chicken sounds. 

"That does it, shorty." he chuckled and lunged him. 

Jonny easily side-stepped his large friend, grabbing him in a headlock. "Atomic noogie!!" and he knuckled the top of Todd's head. 

"AAAHH!! No, stop it! My hair!" 

"Typical response I'd expect to hear from a guy who colors his hair bright green." Crysta laughed. 

Jonny released his friend and they all pretended to listen to the lecture the military personnel were giving just as one of their teachers walked by. The teacher gave them a hard stare, hoping to find something of their deceit, but they showed nothing. The teacher grunted and walked on. Four pairs of eyes turned to watch him go, then the four teens broke into a fit of laughter when he was out of earshot. 

"We are simply the worst." Jessie managed between fits of hysteria. 

"There's a word for what we are." Jonny struggled. "I just can't think of it right now." 

"All right people! Back on the bus!" Miss Green called to the assembled students. "We're going back to the hotel for a rest after the flight! After that, for those who want, we'll go into Chinatown for some shopping! Then it's supper and afterwards a dance club, again optional! So, everyone on the bus!" 

"Well, you heard the lady, Beautiful." Jonny stated shortly before he slung Jessie over his shoulder. 

She shrieked as he carried her this way back to the bus. "You put me down this minute, you tow headed twerp!" she giggled. 

"Not on your life." 

She slapped his rear, kicking her legs to make carrying her a little tougher. "Put me down or else!" 

"Or else what?" 

"Classic response. Or else you're not getting anything special tonight." she threatened playfully. 

"Oh! If you put it that way..." and he gently set her back down on her feet before climbing onto the bus. "Forgiven?" 

She smirked sweetly, tenderly touching his cheek. "Always." and she lightly kissed his lips. 

The rest of the students piled onto the bus and then they were off back to the hotel. 

* * * 

The blond woman staggered through the door, letting herself drop into a chair. A man in a white lab coat quickly came to her side and began injecting her with brightly colored liquids. She glared at him and at the harsh looking man standing behind him. 

"This body isn't holding, Vostok!" she hissed. "I need Bannon, NOW!" 

"Patience, my dear, patience." he soothed in a thick Russian accent. "These things take time. And I want the girl and the Quest boy to suffer for what their Fathers did to me." 

"Do what you want to Quest. I don't want Bannon damaged. She is mine!" 

"Do you have an idea of how you will get her?" 

The blond grinned evilly. "Yes, and Quest will help me, even if he doesn't know it yet. You can have him when I'm done, but don't kill him. He and Bannon are close. I wouldn't mind profiting from that." 

"For his Father to suffer, Quest must die." 

She shot him the harshest glare to have ever existed. "_Do not cross me, Vostok! You may not live long enough to regret it!_" 

* * * 

"You two gonna join us for an early lunch?" Crysta asked Jessie and Jonny as the three of them and Todd walked into the hotel's lobby. 

The two shook their heads a negative. 

"I'm going to take a shower, might help to completely wake me up." Jessie informed. 

"And I'm going to see if I can take a nap. That long flight's starting to have an effect on me." Jonny added with a slight yawn. 

"Okay, then, we'll see you later today." and Todd waved them off as the young couple moved towards the elevator. 

The two got to their room, Jessie heading for the shower, Jonny crashing unceremoniously on one of the beds. He closed his eyes and let himself go completely relaxed with a deep sigh. He heard the shower start in the bathroom. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment. He could hear Jessie singing a Golden Oldies song in the shower through the partly opened door. He took his eyes away from the ceiling to stare through the door to the bathroom. A sly smile suddenly crossed Jonny's lips as he sat up on the bed's edge. 

Humming an old song from the radio, Jessie rinsed the rest of the shampoo out of her hair under the running water. After a six hour plane flight this very warm shower felt good on her slightly stiff muscles. She might just take a nap herself after this. Something suddenly slipped from the small of her back to just below her rib cage. She turned sharply in surprise only to find herself face-to-face with Jonny. He had stripped of all his clothes and was standing in the streaming hot water with her, pulling her into his arms. A lopsided grin was on his lips. She began to giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck, understanding what he intended, wanting what he wanted. She would more than willingly oblige him. Their lips met hungrily, their hands beginning the slow, deliberate exploration learned from experience which intended to excite and arouse, pinching and stroking. 

"Jonny, this is dangerous." she gasped softly, nibbling at his ear. 

"Mmm? Oh! Right." and he pulled back slightly, enough for her to shut off the water. They just stood there for a moment, grinning playfully at each other. "Race you to the bed?" 

They took off like a shot for the other room, both laughing wildly. He caught her in his arms as they fell and tangled in the bed sheets. 

"Did you bring any?" she asked as he nipped at her throat. 

"A whole box full." 

She giggled. "Might not be enough. We _are_ here for two weeks, remember." 

He chuckled. "That's what a pharmacy is for. Wait a second." 

He quickly got up to go to the hotel room door and placed the _Do Not Disturb_ sign on the door nob, making sure the door was locked after he closed it. Then he just made one quick stop at his suitcase before leaping back under the sheets. She snuggled closer to him, their hands beginning the sensual exploration again. Jessie could only gasp and moan softly as he traced nips and kisses down the length of her body, pausing to show particular attention to her breast and the junction of her legs. In a swift move she flipped him over onto his back, pinning him to the mattress. She traced a trail of nibbles and licks all across his chest, lower to his stomach, then his thighs before returning to his rigid member. She stroked it gently with her fingers and tongue and was rewarded by hearing him gasp, a violent shiver coursing through him. 

"God, Jessie, don't tease me." 

She chuckled. "I'll do much more than tease, Lover." 

She pulled away slightly to take the small packet hidden in his hand. He watched her, his eyes glassy in arousal. She straddled his thighs, tearing open the packet and, in a very teasing fashion, slipped the condom on him. Then, she raised up and took him inside her. Both released a shuddering sigh at the sensation. She held his shoulders for balance, slowly rocking forward, his hands holding her hips. Jessie met his searching lips, both savoring every new and old sensation as it flooded their senses. 

"Bet you Miss Green would have a fit if she knew what we were doing." she giggled breathlessly. 

He began to laugh as he turned to pin her beneath him. "You pick a fine time to think about that, Miss Bannon." he breathed against her lips, lacing his fingers with hers. 

She could only laugh in response. Then he began to rock and she couldn't stop the loud gasp of pure pleasure that escaped her throat. Her legs locked around his hips as Jonny bent down to tease her nipples into tight buds with his tongue. Jessie raked her nails down his back, meeting his every thrust with perfect rhythm. She panted small bits of loving phrases as he raced her nearer to her peak. Her body suddenly began to shudder as his body stiffened. He felt her muscles tighten around his member. He seemed to be drained all the way from his toes. A few heartbeats later he collapsed against her, riddling kisses along her shoulder and the arch of her throat. They lay there for what felt like an eternity, their limbs intertwined, waiting for their breathing to return to normal. Jonny raised up on his arms to look down at her flushed features. She gazed into his eyes in adoration. 

"I love you." she murmured. 

He smiled. "I love you." 

He began to shift his weight to get off her, but her knees locked against his hips to restrain him. "Do you have to go so soon? You feel so good right where you are." she pleaded with an irresistible pout. 

Jonny chuckled. "I have to get cleaned up in case Miss Green decides to pay us another surprise visit." 

"Does that have to be now?" 

He smiled softly, relenting to her insistence. "No, I guess it doesn't." and he placed a gentle kiss on the hollow between her collar bones. She touched his face in a tender glide, sighing almost silently. He looked at her, puzzled. "What is it?" 

"I was just thinking... Two years ago who would've thought we would become so intensely... _passionate _towards each other." she mused. 

"Hadji probably knew." he chuckled. "But I like that term you used. Passionate. Are we really?" 

She giggled playfully. "I would definitely say so. Everything we do and say to each other is pretty much proof of it. And..." She began to trace his shoulders and arms softly, a sultry grin on her lips, "... there's the fact that we make love almost every time we're alone together, at the drop of a hat." 

"Mmm, any hat at that." he smirked, then shifted off of her. She made a sound in protest, but he silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. "Again tonight, I promise, my love." and claimed her lips tenderly. 

"Well, since you say it so eloquently..." 

She reluctantly let him get up to grab some clean clothes from his bag and enter the bathroom. She watched him go, admiring his backside. He wasn't necessarily buff, but the years of constant adventure had given him a well chiseled frame. His back showed this with the hints of hard muscles. Before he disappeared through the door her eyes drifted down to his firm rear and she began to giggle like a school girl who was being asked out by the handsomest guy in school. He turned sharply. 

"What?" he asked. 

She turned onto her stomach, leaning her chin in her hand. "Just admiring the view." she grinned playfully. 

He had to laugh as he walked out of sight. "You little vixen!" he called back. 

She laughed as well, mostly from his comment. "I'll take that as a compliment!" 

"You would." 

He reappeared moments later wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt. She looked his over in approval. "Very nice, Lover." 

"Thank you, and what are you going to wear?" 

"Why?" She leapt to her feet before him, unashamed of her naked form, a sly smile on her lips. "Don't you like how I look right now?" 

He pulled her close with a seductive grin. "I like it very much but, much as I'd like to keep you this way, you'd get arrested for indecent exposure if you walked down Chinatown in your _very _attractive birthday suit." 

She chuckled, gripping his shirt. "C'mere you." and she gave him a tug forward and she let herself fall back onto the bed, kissing his deeply. 

"Mmm, you really should get dressed." he managed to say into her embrace. 

"What if I don't feel like it?" 

Jonny gave her a mock evil grin. "Then suffer the consequences." he intoned theatrically and began to tickle her. 

Jessie shrieked. "NO! Jonny, no! Stop it! Jonny!!" she cried out between fits of laughter. "I'll get dressed! I'LL GET DRESSED!" she finally surrendered. 

"Ah, I knew you'd see it my way." 

"You didn't leave me much of a choice." she panted. She freed herself of his arms and started for the bathroom. She heard him snicker when she reached the door and turned to him. "Now what?" 

"I'm admiring a view just as appealing as the one you had." 

She blew him a kiss with a wink, then disappeared into the bathroom. Jonny looked at the mess of bed sheets on the bed and floor and smiled. The hotel maids would be speculating what happened in this room for month to come. With a blissful sigh he dropped back and smiled at the ceiling. 

* * * 

A black Sedan, it's windows tinted black, coasted through the older streets of San Francisco's Chinatown. Inside, sitting in the back seat, were three individuals; the nameless blond, the doctor, and General Vostok. The General didn't look too pleased. 

"Are you sure they will be here?" he asked, thickly rolling his R's due to his accent. 

The blond gave him a wary glance. "I heard the plans myself, Vostok. And there's the bus now." Sure enough, out the window, they could see the tour bus parking near Union Square. Within moments a large group of teens disembarked. "Have your driver follow them. I want this over quickly." 

"Doctor Marsh, how long can her body hold?" 

"Another week if we continue the treatment I developed. But if she can get the right body before the eclipse, she'll be fine." 

"Very good. We will follow our targets for a while, then it's up to you, my dear Lilith. Or should I call you Elise?" 

Lilith / Elise grinned evilly at him before returning her eyes to the teens on the sidewalk. 

* * * 

Todd held up the antique katana to the light filtering through the fog, once again inspecting the fine blade. It shone fiercely, deadly. 

"I still can't believe you talked that dealer down to fifty bucks." he marveled as he and Jonny walked down the sidewalk. "And in Chinese no less." 

Jessie and Crysta had broken away from them to do some secret shopping, leaving the boys on their own. They would meet up at a small Chinese cafe Jonny remembered seeing the last time he had visited San Francisco. At a small shop the boys had found a beautiful selection of katana blades and other daggers. At the sight of this sword Jonny began haggling with the merchant. 

He smiled at Todd's amazement. "Dad and Race insisted we learn as many languages and cultures as possible. Flatter any dealer enough in his native tongue and you can get just about anything. That's a universal rule." 

"But this thing is gorgeous! Solid silver hammered and folded a few hundred times, intricate dragon design carved into the metal. It's incredible!" 

"Put it away, Todd. I don't want to ruin the blade. Now where is that place?" 

"What did you say it was called?" 

"_Garden of the Cherry Blossom_. Fen Kuei's the owner. He's a good friend of the family. Ah, there it is!" 

They arrived at an elegant little cafe, its only identification written in Chinese above the door. They walked into the terrace area and were immediately greeted by a spry looking old man. He made quick bowing motions, smiling broadly. 

"Welcome, welcome. Most honored to have you in my humble cafe." he stated in broken English. 

"Kuei-san, it is good to see you again." Jonny stated in fluent Chinese, bowing in respect. 

"Jonathan-san!? I have not seen you in many years. My, you have grown. What brings you to San Francisco?" 

"A school field trip, actually." he replied in English so Todd could follow. "And, since we were in Chinatown, I knew we couldn't leave without coming here first. Fen Kuei, this is a friend of mine, Todd Andrews." 

"Most honored, Todd-san." 

"Likewise, Mr. Kuei. I hear you serve the best food in all of Chinatown." 

Kuei smiled broadly. "Domo. Cooking is an art that I enjoy. For two?" 

"Four." Jonny answered. "Here come the two others now." 

Down the street, coming into view through the fog, were Jessie and Crysta. Each were carrying a few bags. Full of smiles the two girls sat at the table with their friends. Jonny smiled at his girlfriend. 

"So what's in the bag?" 

Jessie leaned over and began whispering something in his ear. He had a violent start and almost fell off his chair at what she told him. He stared at her in slight shock as she giggled. Then he began to laugh. 

"What did I do to ever deserve you?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she purred. 

He shook his head with a slight chuckle before turning to Kuei. "You remember Race Bannon? This is his Daughter, Jessie, and her friend, Crysta Robertson. Jessie, Crysta, this is Fen Kuei, owner of the _Garden of the Cherry Blossom_, a friend of the family." 

Jessie bowed. "Any friend of the Quests and my Dad is a friend of mine." she greeted in perfect Chinese. 

Crysta copied the movement, but couldn't quite wrap her tongue around the phrase Jessie had pronounced. "... or something like that. Sorry." she shrugged in apology. 

Kuei smiled placatingly. "It is quite alright. My language takes many years to learn for those who are not from my homeland." He turned and called to one of the servers in his Native dialect. This one ran off as Kuei removed his apron and sat at the same table as the four teens. "Now, Jonathan-san, tell me how your family is." 

Over a sumptuous meal and small cups of saki, Jonny and Jessie related everything that had ever happened to the Quest Team since their last visit to San Francisco. Kuei listened avidly to everything they had to say, asking questions at times, laughing or nodding at others. As Todd and Crysta asked Kuei more questions Jonny showed Jessie the sword he had purchased earlier. 

"Got it for fifty dollars. What do you think?" 

"It's beautiful, and so light." 

"I figure Dad'll love it. When I saw it I knew it'd be perfect for his collection." 

She smirked. "So thoughtful." 

"Thank you." he smiled as he reached for the Sweet'n Sour Pork with his chopsticks. Picking up a bite sized piece he offered it to Jessie. "Say _Ah_." and he carefully popped the morsel in her mouth through her parted lips. 

"I can feed myself, you know." she stated after swallowing. 

"I know, but this is so much more fun." 

"Incorrigible." she muttered with a smile. 

"And you better believe it." 

"Hey, isn't that the same blond as this morning?" Crysta suddenly voiced, indicating a direction with her chin. 

They all looked to see the blond walking casually down the sidewalk, past the cafe's terrace, and continue without so much as a glance. Jessie couldn't help but grin when she turned back to Jonny. 

"Looks like you got yourself a stalker, Lover." 

Kuei began to laugh. "I remember your most honorable Father telling me how someday girls would be hunting you down because of your handsome face." 

Shock crossed his features. "Dad knew about this? Why didn't he tell me?" 

Jessie laughed. "He didn't want to inflate your ego or ruin that endearing naivete of yours." 

He crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to sulk. "He could've at least warned me." 

"Now where's the fun in that?" 

He gave her a mock suffering stare. "Nice." 

A scream of terror suddenly shattered the fog filled air. It was in the direction the blond had walked off in. Todd, Jonny and Jessie quickly stood, ready for a fight. 

"Crysta, stay here." instructed Todd as the three of them leapt over the rail and ran into the thick fog bank. 

Shapes began to take form just ahead of them. The blond was trying to fight off some men who were dragging her towards a black Sedan. They rushed in to help. Running in head first Todd rammed two men around the mid section, taking them to the ground with him. That left two more for Jessie and Jonny to deal with. With more restraint than Todd showed they took on their opponents, forcing them to release the blond. Neither teen realized that, in his bold move, Todd had managed to knock himself out while the two other men were still conscious. A fifth man jumped out of the car to join the two fighting Jonny. This man landed a well placed punch in his stomach, then knocked him back with a knee to the face when he doubled over, and Jonny hit the sidewalk rather hard, out cold. 

"Put him in the car." the assailant ordered the other two. 

He turned in time to see the other two knock Jessie to the ground. She lay there, immobile save for her breathing. They went to put her and Todd in the Sedan when the blond stopped them. 

"No. She has to come of her own free will. Quest will see to that." 

"What about this one?" one asked, nudging Todd's body with his foot. 

She gave Todd a look of disdain. "He's useless to me. Leave him. Let's go." 

* * * 

Jessie woke slowly to a throbbing pain at the back of her head. She was sitting upright in a chair, a cold, damp cloth dabbing against her face. She opened her eyes and found herself in the _Garden of the Cherry Blossom_ cafe. Todd was sitting not far away, nursing a fat lips with an ice cube, Crysta tending to his other minor injuries. Jessie looked up to find Fen Kuei was the one dabbing at her face with the cloth. Her mind struggled for a moment before the words finally came. 

"Kuei-san, where's Jonny?" 

"Those men took him and the woman. You were hurt." 

"I'm alright. Did you see which direction they went in?" 

"North." Todd spoke up. "I heard one say something about an island." 

Crysta looked worried. "Should we call the police?" 

"What can they do? Bumps and bruises are hardly proof of a kidnaping. And he left his tracer watch at the hotel." She sighed heavily, almost dreading her next words. "Jonny's been through this kind of situation himself." she began slowly, the words leaving a rancid taste in her mouth. "He'll find a way back to us... on his own. Excuse me." 

She got up rather quickly and entered the cafe's small bathroom, locking the door behind her. She turned on the faucets at full to drown out what followed. Sinking to her knees Jessie began to sob uncontrollably, feeling the pain from her heart to her gut, clutching at her sides in an effort to ease the pain. She only hoped she had been right. 

* * * 

Jonny felt himself wake slowly shortly after sounds reached his ears. 

"Wake up, Mr. Quest." someone ground harshly before striking him across the face very hard. He tasted his own blood in his mouth as he raised his head. That was when he realized he was securely tied to a chair. A man in a white lab coat was standing before him, grinning evilly, almost pleased with himself. He was in some sort of hanger or bunker. "Glad you could join us." 

"Please, Doctor Marsh." came a sweet, chiding voice from behind Jonny. "Don't hurt him too much. We still need him." The blond woman from earlier came into view, a sweet smile on her face. "It's been a long time, Jonny Quest." she purred. 

He frowned, partly in confusion, partly from understanding the attack earlier had been a set up. "Do I know you?" 

"Well, not me as you see here, but yes, you do." 

His frown deepened. "I don't understand." 

"What is there to understand, young Mister Quest?" a thick Russian accent stated as someone new walked into the room. "You know her, but not in this body." 

"General Vostok!?" 

"At least you recognize me. Tell, young man," and he leaned in towards him in a casual, conspiring move. "... do you need another clue to guess who she is or do you now know?" 

Jonny looked back and forth between the two before the words _not in this body_ finally registered in his mind. His blue eyes went wide in total shock. "ELISE!" 

Vostok began to laugh in clear enjoyment. "Ah, the young man does have intelligence after all. She calls herself Lilith now." 

"But... but... you're dead!" 

Elise / Lilith smiled. "My poor young fool. Hadji hit me in the leg with that spear, not the heart. I was hurt, true, but Vostok and his few loyal men found me and _procured_ me this temporary body." 

"This isn't possible!" 

"Oh, it is. We've worked hard to find you. You want to know why?" She brought her face close to his, staring hard into his eyes. "You're going to get me what your friend Hadji failed to get. You're going to get me Jessica Bannon... within the next three days." 

Before he could tear his eyes away Elise / Lilith's eyes began to glow a bright green. Jonny found he couldn't blink, couldn't look away anymore. His will broke down. His mind shut off. She was now completely in control over him. 

"Will he obey you?" Vostok asked impatiently. 

"Completely. And this..." she ripped off the dragon design pendant from around his neck, "... will ensure that he continues to do so. You can torture him now, just don't kill him. I still have use for him." and she walked away before the beating began. 

* * * 

Jessie paced worriedly in her hotel room. It was late and Jonny hadn't yet returned. Crysta and Todd were in the room with her, also worried. They had told the chaperons that they were staying in the room for a late night movie and not to expect them at the danse club the trip organizers had decided on. Jessie was beginning to wear a hole in the floor. 

"Where is he? It's been almost five hours now. With his track record he should be back by now." she muttered in worry. 

"You said not to worry, Chica, that he'll make it back." 

"Crys is right, Jess. Cool it before you end up on the floor below." 

"I can't cool it until I know he's alright." 

"Man, have you got it bad." 

"If only you knew, Crysta." 

She continued to pace, oblivious to her two friends' urging for her to sit down. The man she loved more than life itself was missing and she had no idea what to do to find him. Panic was welling up inside her threatening to make her go into hysterics. A sound suddenly caught her ear. It sounded like someone was stumbling, trying to walk out in the hall. Then, whoever it was collapsed against the room's door. Cautious, Todd went to the door and cracked it open for a peek. With a loud gasp he swung the door wide to reveal Jonny's semi-conscious form on the floor leaning on the door frame. Bruises were forming on his face, blood oozing from a gash above his eye and a split lip. Each throwing a thousand questions at once they scrambled to get their injured friend inside, carefully laying him on the bed. After fetching a wet towel, Jessie cradled his head in her lap and began to gently dab at her boyfriend's injuries, tears forming in her eyes. 

"Jonny, what happened to you?" she breathed. 

He opened his eyes and for a split second she could have sworn they shone with an eerie green light. He looked around in tired confusion. "Jess? What happened?" 

"What do you remember?" 

He blinked, trying to think. "Waking up in some sort of bunker then... blank. I don't even know how I got out." 

"Want to go to the hospital, Blondie?" Crysta asked carefully. 

"Do you even have to ask that? You know how I feel about hospitals. I'll be okay here, I just need a few hours of sleep and some ice." 

"I'll get the ice." and Crysta ran off for the ice machine. 

"What happened to the girl, buddy?" Todd suddenly thought to ask. 

He thought about it, thinking he saw a flash of memory of the girl working for those who attacked her to begin with, but unsure of it. He sat up, leaning against the bed's headboard. "I don't know. I think she got away, but I can't be sure." 

Crysta returned with a bucket of ice and handed it over to Jessie who applied pieces of it to the bruises on Jonny's face. He winced, but remained quiet. 

Todd stood, tugging at Crysta's arm. "We'll leave you two now. You take it easy, bleach head." and they left. 

Jessie carefully tended to his wounds, mentally wondering how they would explain this to their chaperons. "You sure you're okay?" 

"Yeah, just give me a minute to piece my brains back together." 

"Glad you made it back." she grinned. 

"Had to." he grinned back lopsidedly. "I had a promise to keep." 

She frowned slightly. "Promise...?" 

His grin became coy as he took hold of her hips to pull her closer. "Don't tell me you've forgotten my promise from this afternoon." 

"Oh, that." she giggled. "Glad you haven't forgotten everything. Are you sure though, in your condition?" she questioned coyly. 

His smile broadened playfully. "The condition of what counts is fine. Need proof?" 

She favored him with a sultry smile. "I think I do. Hold that thought." She quickly went to the door, placing the _Do Not Disturb_ sign on the nob before locking it, made a quick stop at one of their bags, then returned to the bed. She straddled his thighs, bringing her face to mere millimeters from his. "Now, where were we?" 

"I was just about to do this." and he cupped her face between his hands to pull her into a deep embrace, both tasting his blood from his cut lip. 

She pulled the T-shirt free from his jeans, then released his lips long enough to pull it up over his head, tossing it in a corner as he removed her tank top. With gentle, worshiping hands he massaged her shoulders before letting his hands drop down to begin kneading her breasts through the lace of her bra. She held his hands, guiding their movements over her body. 

She loved his hands. One minute they could be the strongest hands in the world, protecting, fighting, supporting those he cared about. The next minute they could melt her resolve with the tenderest caress. She could never resist him anything when he worked his magic on her. 

Jonny pulled her closer, flesh pressed against flesh. Jessie held on to the headboard behind him as his hands continued the gentle duty of ridding her of her clothes. He freed her of her jeans, dropping them to the ground, then managed to remove his own jeans. He pressed his bruised face between her breast, gently nipping her skin, and reached up behind her to unclasp her bra. She gasped when his lips found her nipples, teasing them into tight buds with his teeth and tongue. Jessie felt his hands move down to the elastic waistband of her underwear, slowly sliding it over the soft mounds of her buttocks. In an instant they were on the floor with the growing pile of their clothes. She could feel the bulge of his stiffening member through the material of his boxer shorts. Both to tease and arouse him further she gently rubbed herself against it. Her reward was hearing him gasp loudly. 

"Jessie, I want you so much." he breathed against the skin of her throat, his voice strained in passion. 

"Then don't hold back, Jonny." she nearly panted in reply. "I want you, too. I want to feel your hands touching me all over. I want to feel you inside me, making love to me." 

Celestial blue eyes locked with the rich green of her eyes as he reached up to one of her hands, taking the small foil packet she clutched. His eyes never left hers. A few seconds later his hands returned to fondling her body, kneading one breast with one hand while his lips and tongue worked on the other breast. She was barely aware of his other hand sliding down to the junction of her thighs until his probing fingers found her hard node and began stroking it. She lost all control. She cried out from a mixture of pleasure and pain as he awakened whole new sensations in her. Jessie arched back unconsciously in pure ecstasy. She didn't know how much more she could take. Molding his hands to her buttocks he gently raised her up, pulling her closer to himself, before slowly easing her down. He moaned contentedly when her warmth closed around his shaft. She gasped incoherently. Jonny guided her movements, slowly at first, up and down, back and forth, until she took over and gradually picked up the pace. What excited him during this were the sounds she made with every bounce, small throaty moans or bits of loving phrases that weren't always understandable. And he was causing this reaction in her. Her eyes were glazed and half shut, her lower lip firmly between her teeth as she concentrated on every sensation coursing like an electric shock through her body. He tried to turn her over onto her back, but she stopped him with a sly grin. 

"You're hurt." she panted softly. "Just lie back and let me do all the work." she purred. 

He cupped her face and drank deeply from her lips like she was a fine nectar. She rocked faster, raising herself just a little higher to intensify the sensations. His hands roamed her body freely, pinching and stroking, kneading and caressing with practice. She thrilled, picking up more speed, moaning from his glorious touch. He was losing his restraint. Jonny could feel her muscles begin to tighten around his member as they both neared their peaks. He claimed her lips again, each swallowing the others cries as they climaxed violently. After a few more strokes she collapsed against his chest, thoroughly exhausted. Jonny pulled a blanket over her and cradled her nude, wet form tight against himself. Before Jessie knew it she had dozed off in the comfort of his arms. 

Jonny watched her sleep for a few moments, smiling slightly. He then looked up into the mirror directly ahead of him. His eyes glowed an unnatural green. "Sleep, Jessie. Tomorrow you meet Elise." he murmured in a zombie like voice before he, himself, fell asleep. 

* * * 

Elise / Lilith stretched lazily on her bed, the intricately carved dragon pendant clutched in her hand. The moment to her owning Jessie Bannon's body was so close she now possessed a one way empathic link with it. She had heard every word that had been spoken and, best of all, she had felt every delicious moment of Jonny Quest making love to Jessie. He was good, very good. She was starting to see that her initial plan of keeping Quest after the switch was done had been and excellent idea. He was already Jessie's lover so it would be generally accepted for them to be together. The eclipse was in three days. Plenty of time to work out the details of her newest plan, one Jonny Quest played a major role in. 

* * * 

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this." Jonny grumbled in disbelief. 

It was nearly noon when they had awakened from a deep sleep. Jessie had gone down to the dining room and retrieved a basket of muffins and a pitcher of orange juice to avoid showing Jonny's injuries to their chaperons. 

Jessie dabbed at this face with a small make-up sponge. "Quit your griping. Or would you rather try to explain to Miss Green exactly how you got those bruises. You're just lucky I brought some foundation with me." 

"How can you guys wear this stuff day in and day out?" 

"Centuries of habit, Lover Boy, centuries of habit. Now hold still!" She blended the foundation with his natural skin color, then pulled back to get a look. "Not bad. Except for some slight puffiness near the eye, you wouldn't be able to tell someone beat you up." 

"Too kind." he frowned. "I heard Miss Green's giving us the next few days off to recover from the whirlwind we went through. Since the eclipse is happening tomorrow night I was wondering..." 

"Wonder away." she grinned. 

"Well, Jess, I was wondering if you might like to go camping to watch it." he smiled playfully. 

She leaned towards him. "Where and how many are going with us, Jonny?" 

He rested his hands on her thighs. "Angel Island State Park and just you, me, and the eclipse." 

"Mmm, I like this idea. But where will we get the camping gear?" 

"In town. I know a great supply shop where we can get a tent and a sleeping bag." 

"One sleeping bag?" she smirked. 

He smiled. "We'll only need one, and the tent." 

"Nothing else?" she inquired coyly. 

Jonny began to chuckle. "Trust me, Beautiful, we won't need anything else... Well, maybe _the box_." 

"Well, then, let go shopping!" and she took his hands. 

At a near run the exited the hotel and it was a quick ride on a trolley car to Montgomery Street. Once there Jonny led the dash to the shop in question. This shop was tucked away between two larger buildings. It was filled, floor to ceiling, with camping supplies and hunting goods, everything from Coleman stoves and halogen lamps to twelve gauge shotguns and bear ammo. 

"I don't suppose we need a very big tent." Jonny voiced as he looked over the tent models lining a wall. "Just something to keep out the cold." 

"But we will need a large sleeping bag." Jessie cooed, taking his arm. 

"Your pick, Pretty Lady." he answered, indicating the vast selection of tents before them. 

* * * 

A grey Sedan was parked in front of the shop, waiting patiently. Inside Vostok scrutinized the windows and door with a look of displeasure on his face. He turned to the woman passenger. 

"You said he would be under your control. Quest seemed to be anything but." 

"Calm yourself, General. He is still in my power so long as I have this." and she held up the dragon design pendant. "True, keeping him is proving to be more difficult than others in the past, but he will obey me." 

"The eclipse happens tomorrow night." 

"I'm well aware of that. By that time he will have brought me Bannon and I will have him under my control for the next fifty years. Then, it's just a matter of disappearing. I leave that part of the plan to you." 

"I want Quest's Father to suffer." he ground. 

"Then I'll simply order him to obey you so you can make Doctor Quest go through whatever little torture you design. Will that make you happy?" 

He leaned back in his seat. "It will suffice." he grumbled. 

"Good. Call your men. Have the prepare for tomorrow night. I want them prepared for every possibility. _Nothing_ must go wrong, do you understand, General?" 

He became almost humble. "I understand." 

* * * 

Crysta lounged on one of the couches of the hotel's lounge area, her bare feet propped up in Todd's lap. He rubbed her feet gently and she sighed loudly in relief. 

"Told you to wear your sneakers." Todd chided softly. 

"Next time I want to wear pumps to go shopping shoot me." 

He smiled sweetly. "Now why would I want to shoot the most beautiful gal in my life?" 

She grinned. "Ooo, keep talking like that and I just might trap you in my room tonight." 

He leaned towards her. "Sounds appealing." 

Crysta gripped his collar, pulling him closer. "You'll know just how much someday too." and she claimed his lips. He gratefully returned the embrace. 

Someone cleared their throat not far away. "Are we disturbing you?" Jonny Quest quipped, a sly smile on his face. 

Todd and Crysta pulled away and looked up to their friends. The were standing at the end of the couch, a sleeping bag and a shopping bag at their feet while Jessie leaned comfortably against Jonny's side. Todd reluctantly sat up again. 

"Isn't that a line we usually use on you guys." 

"Turnabout is fair play, Todd ol' buddy." Jonny quipped. 

"What's with the sleeping bag?" Crysta suddenly thought to ask. 

A slight giggle escaped Jessie's throat despite her efforts otherwise. "Since Miss Green is giving us the next three days off we have a little eclipse watching planned on Angel Island." 

Crysta perked up. "Ooo, can we come?" 

"Not on your life, Crys!" she protested. "This is a private camping trip." 

"But where's the fun in that?" she whined. 

"You may not see it, but..." and she gave Jonny a loving glance which he returned, "... we certainly do. Besides, I'm sure you and Todd will find _something_ to do for the next three days. C'mon, Jonny." and she tugged at her boyfriend's arm to pull him towards the elevator. "We have _plans _to make." 

He merely grinned and went with her. An elderly woman was in the elevator with them as it slowly made its way to the fourth floor. She watched them for a moment, a strange look on her face. Then she suddenly faced them. 

"He'll betray you." 

The two teens stiffened in surprise. "What?" Jessie asked, not sure she had understood correctly. 

"He'll betray you. You can see it in his eyes." 

The elevator arrived at the second floor and the woman left without another word. They watched her go, confused. "Well, that was creepy." he voiced. 

"What do you suppose that was all about?" 

"Who knows." He grinned suddenly. "I hope it hasn't ruined our plans, though." 

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Not a bit. Not when I have so much to look forward to." 

His smile softened as he cupped her face and claimed her lips in such a tender embrace that it left her weak in the knees. She clung to him, returning the embrace with as much heat as he was showing. A soft ping signaled the elevator's arrival at the fourth floor. Jonny broke the embrace reluctantly and pulled her towards their shared room with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. 

"C'mon. There's something I want to do before we go to the island and set up." 

* * * 

"You're sure your men have thoroughly surround the area?" Lilith / Elise demanded testily as she paced the small room. 

Across the small round table from her stood General Vostok, hands clasped behind his back in a typical _at ease_ position. "When I give my men an order they follow it to the letter." he replied almost proudly. 

"And yet that doesn't stop them from failing to ruin the Quests' plans each and every time." she sneered. 

He glowered at her. "You test my patience, demon woman." 

Her eyes glowed a menacing green. "Watch you tongue, _General_." she snapped. "Or I might just take your life for my own. I'm sure the life of a General would replenish me for several days easily" She suddenly stiffened, then leaned heavily on the table as she clutched at her heart, a strange look on her face. "Get out!" she ordered. 

"What's happening to you?" he asked, more curious than worried. 

She grabbed a chair and hurled it at him. "GET OUT!!!!" she shrieked and chased him out of the room. Lilith / Elise slammed the door shut, secured it, and leaned back against it with a look of ecstacy passing over her features. She felt a body press up against her, phantom hands and lips skimming against her skin, all over. She reveled in what was happening to her. She didn't wonder. She knew what was going on. Somewhere out in San Francisco Jonathan Benton Quest was making incredible love to his lover, Jessica Anne Bannon. With ever delicious sensation a electric shiver would race up her spine. Lilith / Elise let herself sink to the floor as her whole body trembled. Long, exquisite minutes later she let herself fall into a quivering heap, her breath ragged. A small laugh escaped her throat. Yes, she would definitely keep Jonny Quest with her after the switch. He was not someone to be given up easily. 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the dragon design pendant. An enigmatic smile crossed her lips as her thumb skimmed the surface of the pendant. "Bring her to me." she whispered, her voice commanding. 

* * * 

Amid a disarray of blankets Jonny lay slightly on his side. A nude form was snuggled in his arms, against his shoulder, a contented smile on her face, their legs were intertwined. Jessie's eyes were closed, her face pressed against the side of his neck as her hand played idle patterns across his bare chest. He watched her, a hand resting on her hip, enjoying the silky feel of her skin. She was always so beautiful when in, what was termed, _after glow_. Her features were still slightly flushed, her skin damp, her chest rising and falling quickly as her breath returned to normal. As he watched her his eyes suddenly flashed a bright green before fading back to blue. Ever so gently he tucked a stray lock of her fiery red hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing the edge of her face. Jessie opened her eyes and smiled up at him. 

"Hey there, Handsome." she greeted softly. 

Jonny grinned. "Hey there yourself, Gorgeous." 

"I would've thought you'd be asleep after such _exercise_." 

"Now why would I want to sleep when I could watch the most beautiful girl in the world _recover _from that _exercise_." 

Jessie began to laugh, cupping his face, and claiming his lips. "I love you so much." she breathed against his lips. 

"I love you too." he answered between kisses. "We should start getting ready to go so we can set up while it's still light out." 

She pouted. "Just when I was so comfortable here." 

He smirked. "C'mon, Sweetheart. Do you want to watch the eclipse or not?" 

"I do, but who says we're going to be watching it?" she cooed seductively. 

He had to laugh. "That's the spirit." 

She reluctantly got up, gathered up her clothes, and entered the bathroom to get dressed while he remained in the other room. Once both were dressed they gathered up the camping gear and caught a taxi to Tiburon. Jessie noticed that Jonny had taken along the katana blade he had bought yesterday. She dismissed the thought as quickly as she had noticed. Once there they rented a small power boat, crossed Racoon Strait, and accosted on one of the coasts of Angel Island. 

"This is just so expensive." Jessie protested as they pulled the _zodiac_ onto the pebbly beach. 

Jonny merely grinned slyly at her. "You're worth it." 

That silenced any more protest she would've made. They secured the inflatable raft on the beach before pushing through the thick underbrush. A thick fog seemed to curl all around them, blocking some of the day's light. Jonny led the way through the foliage as if he knew exactly where he was going. She couldn't see the strange glow in his eyes that guided him on. Within moments of walking they emerged into a small, fog lined clearing. The waning sunlight cast a golden orange glow through the fog creating a ethereal landscape before their eyes. 

"Oh, wow!" Jessie breathed in awe. 

He grinned. "Perfect, _n'est ce pas_?" 

"Absolutely. Couldn't have been more perfect even if we'd planned this. It's like out of a Fairy Tale." 

"Well then, Princess Jessica, shall we set up our castle for the night?" 

She giggled. "By all means, Sir Jonathan." 

After a few minutes of struggling with the tent poles they got the small dome tent up and standing. As Jessie unrolled the sleeping bag and tucked the provisions bag and the katana in a corner, Jonny disappeared to gather small twigs and branches for a fire. She stretched out on the bed roll with a blissful sigh. No need to be careful of being caught for the next two nights. Here, they were completely alone. 

* * * 

Deep in the brush Jonny continued to gather branches. A grouping of figures stepped out through the bushes and stood in front of him. He straightened as if nothing was, the strange green glow entering his eyes, letting the branches drop to the ground, suddenly forgotten. 

One of the group, a blond woman stepped forward with a pleased smile on her face. "Is she there, my love?" she questioned, tenderly stroking his cheek. 

"As you ordered." Jonny replied flatly. 

Her smile widened slightly and she placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Good. You did very well." She turned to one of the men next to her. "General Vostok, your men may _close the loop_." 

* * * 

Jessie heard a crackle of twigs and, thinking it was Jonny, she decided she would greet him with a loving embrace. She crawled out of the tent and stood only to find herself surrounded by armed men in camouflage gear. She froze in shock. A few men came towards her, holding her at rifle point. Whatever this was, she was caught. A blond woman, followed by a group of men, emerged from the bushes. At their center was Jonny. He had a blank look on his face. The way he was acting was familiar somehow. 

"Trying to figure out what's happening here?" the woman sneered. 

"At the very least she will recognize me." one of the men announced. 

Jessie looked at him and a chilling shiver raced up her spine. "Vostok!" 

"_General_ Vostok to you, Miss Bannon." 

"Enough, General!" the woman snapped. "Take her back to the complex and keep her there until tomorrow night." 

Vostok signaled two of his men who roughly took Jessie's arms to drag her away. She through a pleading look at her stoic lover. "Jonny!" she called desperately. 

The woman grinned evilly and leaned on Jonny's shoulder, gliding her hand across his chest. He never moved. "He can't hear you, Jessie. Jonny is mine now." 

"Who are you?" 

"I'm insulted you don't recognize me, after all we've been through in New Orleans." the blond pouted. 

"New Orleans? I never saw you there." 

"No, of course not, not in this body, but you do know me." 

"Not in this body?... Oh, My God!" 

"Ah, now you remember." 

"Elise Lenoir!" 

She chuckled. "Glad to see you too. Doctor Marsh, it is to you now." 

The young man in question stepped forward with a syringe in hand. Jessie cringed fearfully. "What're you going to do?" she demanded. 

"A little something to make sure you stay put until after the transfer." he answered. "It's a sedative." Jessie struggled wildly, but Marsh managed to prick her. Within a few short moments she was sedated enough to have to be carried back to the complex. 

"How long will the sedative last?" Lilith / Elise demanded. 

"Tomorrow night, same time. She'll be wide awake for your transference, Miss Lenoir." 

"Good. Let's go." She took Jonny's arm with a playful grin. "I want to get to know as much as possible from the man I'll be spending the next fifty years with." and she tugged him along with the commando group right behind. 

* * * 

Inside, Jonny screamed with all his might. This was beyond even his delicate sanity. He was completely conscious, having thoughts of his own, but he had absolutely no control of his motor reflexes. Lilith / Elise was in control, mentally telling him what she wanted him to do. Presently they were back at the complex, a kind of underground bunker. He saw Jessie being carried off in another direction. Everything he was wanted to go running to her, get her out of this nightmare, but Lilith / Elise kept a tight control of him. Jonny decided he would bide his time, wait until she was distracted enough, and break free. 

Lilith / Elise led him into a small room. There was a simple wooden table with a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses on it. There were two chairs next to the table. A simple cot was in a corner. She sat elegantly on one of the chairs, then turned to smile at him. The smile left him cold. 

"Sit, my love. We have much to discuss." Against his own will he sat across from her. "You fascinate me, Jonny. Your relationship with Jessie is so deep, so passionate. I want you to know that after the exchange you will remain with me. Vostok will use you for a little job, discredit your Father, ruin Race Bannon's career, but with me you will continue to have a life of bliss with... _Jessie_." and she chuckled. "I will so enjoy your company for the next fifty years. You've become such a handsome young man. And I felt every sensation and the joy you brought Jessie each time you made love. Nights with you will be simple ecstacy... Nothing to say?... The control I must keep you under is too strong. No matter. A silent lover is better than no lover at all." She got up and crossed the room to him. "You'll sleep here tonight, my love. Tomorrow night, and each night after that, you will share my bed. Goodnight, my future lover." and she gave him a long, passionate kiss on the lips. 

* * * 

Jessie woke slowly, aware of very little until the related sense awaked from its artificially induced slumber. She felt the ropes biting into her flesh, the hard metal of the chair beneath her, then the sting of the cold night air against her face. She raised her head and looked around. The doctor who had sedated her, Marsh, stood not far away talking with General Vostok. The were outside the walls of the complex. Far above the full moon, the Harvest Moon, glowed like a bright eyes in the dark of the night. Sounds reached her next. 

"You'd think she'd be here already." Vostok grumbled. 

"She told me she had things to prepare before the switch happened." 

The Russian General sighed heavily. "Be they demon or human, women will be women. Eternally late, and eternal perfectionists." 

Jessie heard a soft rustling off to a side and turned in that direction. Lilith / Elise stepped into the moonlight with Jonny right behind her, his hands behind his back. He still had the same blank look on his face. Lilith / Elise looked up at the sky and began to laugh, pleased at what she saw. 

"The eclipse begins! Ah, Jessie, you have no idea how long I've waited for this moment." 

Jessie looked at Jonny pleadingly. "Jonny, please! Help me!" 

"He listens only to me, my lovely." Lilith / Elise gloated. 

She didn't see Jonny turn to Jessie and wink reassuringly. He then turned enough to show the katana hidden behind his back. Jessie hid her smile of relief as she realized what was happening. Lilith / Elise had to concentrate everything she had on the eclipse and the transference. Her concentration now elsewhere her other _subjects_ were free. Jonny wasn't under Lilith / Elise's control anymore. 

"Shall we begin now, Elise?" Vostok announced, indicating the center of the clearing. 

She took her place in front of Jessie and waited for the eclipse to begin manifesting itself. Far above in an eon old celestial danse, the Earth moved between the Sun and the Moon ever so slowly. A blood red shadow began to creep across the white Lunar orb. Lilith / Elise gloated in sheer pleasure. 

"Nothing will stop me this time!" 

"Don't count on it!" Jonny suddenly announced, whipping out the katana blade and taking a swipe at the woman shaped demon. 

This one quickly leapt out of the way, startled and confused, dropping the dragon design pendant in the process. With a quick downward stroke he sliced through the ropes holding Jessie and grabbed her hand. She dove for a second, retrieving the pendant, and both ran. 

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" they heard Lilith / Elise shriek in fury. 

Jessie risked a glance behind her in time to see the transformation into a huge bat-like creature. "Jonny! She's coming!" 

"I won't let her get you, Jess! Keep running!" 

There was an inhuman shriek above them and the thrashing of a foot chase behind. Jessie ran the odds in her head. Elise was a demon who could kill with a single touch, Vostok's men were all armed to the teeth, and the only weapon they had was Jonny's silver katana. The odds weren't good at all. Something suddenly stuck in her mind. 

"Jonny! The katana!" 

"What about it?" 

"Silver! It's silver! Remember what it does to her!" 

He took a sharp right around a large tree trunk and pulled her around to have her back end up pressed to his chest. They crouched low in the bushes, out of sight, struggling to slow their breaths. He held the Oriental sword in front of them both in protection. 

"Alight, it'll take Elise out of the picture, but what about Vostok and his men." he whispered, out of breath. 

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking." 

"Hey, I think I have an idea." 

"I'm all ears, boyfriend." 

"Okay, listen. We're in a State Park, right?" 

"Yeah, so?" 

"So, what do State Parks usually have in them?" 

"Trees, rocks, animals..." 

"... Cabins and forest rangers." he completed for her. "All we have to do is find a guard post and we're home free." 

She suddenly grinned at him. "I thought I was the one who usually came up with the smart ideas." 

He returned her grin, squeezing her body close. "Can let you get all the credit." He looked up at the sky. "First things first. Getting rid of Elise once and for all. Ready?" 

"As I'll ever be." He made a move to start running again, but she grabbed his arm to momentarily restrain him. "Wait. I'm glad you're back." she smiled genuinely. 

He gave her his lopsided grin, gently cupping her cheek. "I could never stay away." 

He took her hand and, staying low and hidden in the underbrush, they made their way through the woods in a direction that both of them hoped to find a ranger station. Far above them they could hear Lilith / Elise shouting orders angrily at Vostok and his men, co-ordinating the search efforts. Jessie and Jonny managed to avoid them all. Parting some branches they found themselves on the edge of a path to just what they were looking for, a ranger station. 

"Well, I'll say our luck is still holding." Jonny grinned. 

Jessie gave his arm a tug to pull him out of sight as a few armed men came into sight. "Then don't tempt it otherwise. What're they doing?" 

"Checking out the station. I think the island's empty except for _our friends_ and us." 

"Then we're stuck." 

"Not necessarily. If there's a radio in there we still have a chance. We just have to wait until they leave, we got into the station, call for reinforcements, they just sit back and wait." 

She smirked. "How long have you been mulling that plan over?" 

He grinned at her. "Since last night. She had control over everything but my mind so I had to occupy myself somehow." He sighed heavily. "Worst experience of my life." 

Jessie touched his shoulder in sympathy with a sly smile. "Don't worry, Jonny. I'll make you forget." she cooed. 

He chuckled softly. "I just bet you will." 

They waited, watching for a few moments as the small group of men entered the station then left for the woods in another direction. After waiting a few more seconds to make sure no one would see them the two teens made a wild dash for the ranger station. They ran inside, shut the door tight, and waited for any sign of having been caught. All was quiet. Jessie began surveying the inside of the station for anything that would help. A table, a few chairs, three doors leading somewhere, and electronic equipment. 

She tapped Jonny's shoulder and indicated the equipment. "Radio." she whispered. 

"Slammin'. Let's just hope there's someone out there to hear." He sat in front of the radio equipment as Jessie disappeared through one of the other doors. Jonny put on the headphones and turned the radio on. "Here goes nothing." he sighed. He turned on the microphone. "This is Angel Island State Park to anyone with range. We are in need of assistance. Commando soldiers and... _something_ else chasing us. Can anyone hear me?" He repeated the message several more times for close to an hour, occasionally checking out the windows for any sign of Vostok's men, before stopping and leaning back in defeat. 

"Why aren't you continuing?" Jessie called from the other room. 

"I can't be sure anyone's listening. No answer yet. What did you find?" 

She came out holding two hunting rifles modified with twenty round ammunition clips. She was grinning, pleased. "Party favors." and she tossed him one of the rifles. 

He caught it and looked it over with a slight look of disgust. "I really hate guns." He looked up at Jessie, then squared his jaw. "But in this case," he loaded a round into the chamber, "... I'll make an exception." 

There was a horrendous screech that suddenly filled the air above the ranger station. Jessie cringed in fear. "Elise!" she exclaimed. 

"Get away from the windows!" 

She wasn't fast enough. In a shower of glass shards and wood splinters Lilith / Elise crashed through the window, easily tackling Jessie to the ground, pinning her there. It laughed as it began the transference. Jessie began to choke as she felt her life being drained from her own body. Jonny took an upward swipe, slicing through the creature's side. As it screamed in pain Jessie managed to roll in Jonny's direction. He pulled her to her feet and pushed her behind himself to protect her. The creature, enraged from pain and bleeding, turned to them. It's eyes glowed a bright, venomous green, it mouth was open to reveal twin rows of razor sharp, long fangs. It stood clumsily on its short, stubby legs. Two leathery wings were spread wide to block any escape. Jonny held the silver bladed katana before him, always making sure it was between him and this demon from Hell. Lilith / Elise smiled toothily at him. 

"You cannot kill me." she laughed. "You are unable to kill anyone." 

"But that's the catch, isn't it? You're not just anyone." and, with a sword sweep learned from Martial Arts Masters, he took Lilith / Elise's head off with one blow. It continued to shriek as it rolled on the ground. To make absolutely sure the creature was dead he stabbed deep through what he hoped was the location of its heart. The body spasmed violently, wrenching the ancient sword out of his tight grip. He heard a snap as the bones in his wrist snapped like twigs. He cried out from the pain, holding his injury, backing into the wall. Through pain squinted eyes he watched the demon's body dissolve into a puddle of bubbling ooze. 

He shook his head. "Why is it all monsters melt into goop when they die?" he quipped to himself despite his pain. He looked over at Jessie. She was shaking, fear still in her eyes. He gripped her shoulder with his good hand, getting her attention. "Hey, you okay?" 

She looked at him, at the goop on the ground, and back. "... I... I'm..." 

Jonny wrapped her in his arms tightly, holding her close. "Shh, it's okay now... She gone for good this time, Jess... It's all over..." he soothed into her hair. 

"Just hold me." she whimpered. 

He did, not wanting to ever let her go. Shots, like thunder in the still night air, exploded through the windows and woodwork all around them. They dove for the floor, retrieving their rifles in the process. They each took a window, identified their targets, and picked them off one by one. Jonny managed one handedly. Moments later all Jessie could hear over the gunfire was the click of her empty rifle. She ducked out of sight. 

"I'm out of ammo!" she called to Jonny. 

"I've got two shots left!" He fired his two last shots, then dove for cover where Jessie was. Glass shards rained all around them as they huddled for mutual protection. "We're trapped! What a way to go out." 

"Whatever happens, I'm glad it'll be with you." she told him, looking up into his celestial blue eyes. 

Jonny stared into her emerald green eyes for a long time before gently touching her cheek. A grim, sly grin touched his lips. 

"See you on the flip side." and he tenderly tasted her lips. 

They held tightly, waiting for the fatal bullet to find them. It never came. Everything became still, abnormally quiet. They listened intently. Nothing. Quiet. Then voices, clear, commanding. Men's voices ordering whoever was out there to disarm and surrender. The duo peered out of the remains of one of the windows out into the night. Recognizable police and Coast Guard uniforms could be clearly seen through the fog. 

Jessie's eyes went wide. "The cavalry!... Late, as usual. Looks like someone was listening." They quickly got to their feet and went down to meet the authorities. 

* * * 

A full day had passed since the incident on Angel Island. Jonny sat against the headboard of the bed in the hotel room. Her was only wearing his boxers. In one hand was the remote control for the TV, on the other was a plaster cast. The telephone receiver was balanced on his shoulder. Jessie was snuggled at his side, wearing a light silk, emerald green negligee. It was one she had found that had matched the one from her dream. They were both watching the news while he was speaking on the phone. 

"Yeah, Dad, I'm watching it now... No, we're okay, I just broke my wrist... It was Vostok and his croonies. And a new incarnation of Elise Lenoir... The lady we told you about from New Orleans..." He began to chuckle. "Yes, Batgirl... No, Vostok got away, like usual... Jessie's fine... Yeah, she's right here, just a sec." He handed the phone over to her. "Our Dads and Hadji want to make sure you're okay. They don't trust my word on it." 

She smirked. "My poor baby." Jessie put the receiver to her ear. "Hello Doctor Quest... Yes, I'm fine, like Jonny said... No, we'd like to stay until the end of the trip... Yes, I'm sure... What? Oh, hi Dad... No, we're staying... San Francisco is a nice place when the monsters are gone... Yes, we'll be careful... See you in two weeks... Love you too. Bye." She hung up the phone and smiled at Jonny. "They make such a big deal out of all this." 

Jonny laughed as she pressed close to his side again. "Yeah, well, look at what we did." and he indicated what was happening on TV. "The good news is that there's nothing left of Elise Lenoir except that sword." he pointed to the katana on the dresser. "And that thing will soon find its way into Dad's private collection. My gift to him." 

"Speaking of gifts..." 

"What?" 

"While you were getting x-rays done I had a jeweler repair the chain to your pendant." She reached around his neck and secured the clasp shut. The cold metal of the pendant shocked his senses awake. "I thought you might want it back." 

He held her close, threading his fingers through her hair. "Thanks, Jess." He suddenly sighed heavily. "For a class trip it had one wild beginning." 

"And we didn't see the eclipse." 

"I don't care. I have the most beautiful sight in the world right here. I also know how to make you even more beautiful." 

Jessie began to giggle. "Really? How?" 

Jonny grin lopsidedly, an impish gleam in his eyes. "By making you flushed and completely breathless." 

"Then by all mean, Lover." 

And he pushed her down to the mattress, claiming her lips deeply as his hands began to explore familiar yet new territory.   
  


THE END 

[Back to Main Page][1]

   [1]: http://www3.sympatico.ca/andrebeaudet/WebP.html



	4. Rocky Roads

**_

> DEDICATED TO : 

> Deborah Kluge 

_**without whose extensive medical knowledge this story would have died a slow, painful death and without whose patience to answer my questions and use of her characters this fic would have never made it as far as it did. Thank you, my friend. **

> AND... 

> Ali O. Batley 

**whose care and attention to my page and my works have pushed me this far and beyond what I had ever expected of myself. Your help is and forever will be appreciated, My Love, in fiction and in life. I love you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

### Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

June 6, 1998 

_

> Francesca Hamilton and Kefira Subramanian are the sole property of Deborah Kluge. Permission was granted for the use of these characters. 

> Peter Stanton is the sole property of Ali O. Batley. Permission was granted for the use of this character.

_

# Rocky Roads

by : Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet

"Race! Incoming!"

Race Bannon turned to the voice just in time to receive a projectile in the face. He fell backwards into the thick snow bank, stunned, then proceeded to wipe melting snow away from his face from receiving the snowball. Moments later a small, white Pit Bull Terrier bounded onto his chest and licked away the rest of the snow with gusto.

"Ugh! Enough, Bandit!" He sat up and looked in the direction the snowball had come. Standing on another snow bank was a trio of teens, two boys and a girl, all laughing hysterically. "Very funny! Which one of you three do I have a vendetta against?" he called. The girl and one of the boys pointed at their dark skinned friend who raised a sheepish hand. "Run for you life, Hadji!" and Race bolted towards him.

Hadji Singh stiffened before suddenly running off towards the tree line. Race picked up handfuls of snow as he went along, chucking them at the retreating teen. The two remaining teens merely laughed, watching the chase, Bandit bounding behind the runners.

"Think we should help Hadji?" Jonny Quest asked the fiery redhead, giving her a lopsided grin.

Jessie Bannon favored her blond friend with a sultry smile. "Triple Team my Dad? Sounds fun."

They each grabbed large handfuls of snow, forming them into snowballs as they ran in the direction Hadji and Race had gone. Race was pummeling their India Native friend with snowballs as this one tried to shield himself with a tree. When he could, he would return the attack.

"Hey, Dad!" Jessie called with a mischievous grin.

"What?" he turned, only to receive two large snowballs in the face. He collapsed to the ground in shock, only to jump back to his feet again seconds later. "Oh, that does it. Rumble! Hadji, you're on my team!" The young India Native quickly complied.

"No fair, Hadj!" Jonny called, dodging snowballs. "We come in to help and you turn on us! Traitor!"

"A wise man always chooses his side carefully, my Brother!" he called back. "And I know for a fact that my chances are very good teaming up with Race!"

"If you don't like the odds, kiddo, change sides!" Race called, tossing a rather large snowball at Jessie.

"Well, since you put it that way...!"

Jessie faced him sharply, slight fear shining in her green eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

He grinned, an impish gleam in his bright blue eyes as he palmed a snowball. "Wouldn't I?"

She shrieked and took off at a run back towards the house with the three men right behind her. They were laughing. She couldn't help but laugh right along with them. Jessie could hear them coming closer. She had a good idea who it was that was right on her heels. Just then, she cleared the tree line and saw the house not far ahead.

"BONSAI!!" Jonny called out and tackled Jessie. Hitting the ground and rolling down a short incline, they were both quickly pounced on by Race and Hadji.

"Arrgh!! Get off me!" Jessie struggled to say from the combined weight of the three men on top of her and her uncontrollable laughter.

All four laughed. Race got to his knees and pummeled the three teens with a full barrage of snowballs. Hadji managed to roll out of the way of the attack, but Jonny stayed where he was and tried to protect his girlfriend from the barrage with his own body.

"Kind of feels familiar, doesn't it?" Jonny told her. She could only giggled in response.

"Alright, _Romeo_, get off my Daughter." and Race shoved him aside. 

Jonny responded by tossing snow in Race's direction seconds before falling to his back in the soft snow. The four sat there, in the snow bank, recovering from their battle. "Is it me or was this fight just a little more intense than usual?" young Quest suddenly voiced.

Hadji jabbed his adopted Brother in the side. "Do you even have to ask that?"

"God! I love first snow falls!" he called out to the clear sky above, punching the air.

"Boys! Jessie! Race!" came a commanding voice from the house. They turned to see Doctor Benton Quest standing in the open door.

"What is it, Dad?" Jonny called.

"I need you four in here! We have something to discuss!"

Hadji and Race immediately jumped to their feet and headed for the front door. Jessie and Jonny hung back just long enough to be able to speak privately as they walked. They were worried, they had reason to. They had officially begun going out a little over two years ago, this their entire family and all their friends knew. But unbeknownst to those people, except Hadji, they had become lovers only a few months ago. They had kept this a secret from their own Fathers, afraid of the repercussions from actually telling them.

"You'd think he found out something." Jonny told Jessie with a slight smirk.

She looked at him, worried. "You don't think...?"

"We were careful. He couldn't have." he admonished.

"Hope you're right."

They all entered the house behind Doctor Quest, closing the door to the cold behind them. The four began shaking bits of snow off themselves, shrugging out of their winter coats, then followed the fifth member of the household into another part of the house.

"IRIS, activate Security Protocols, Level One. Voice recognition, Doctor Benton Quest." Benton stated to the ceiling.

__

"DOCTOR BENTON _QUEST RECOGNIZED. LEVEL ONE SECURITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED." _came a synthesized voice_._

Race frowned. "Somethin' wrong, Doc?"

"No, just something very important not to be placed in public scrutiny by accident. All of this is unofficial... and must stay this way."

It was Jessie's turn to frown. "What is it, Doctor Quest?"

"Not here, Jessie. In my office." An middle aged woman stepped out of the kitchen at that moment, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. "Mrs. Evans, we'll have supper in the office."

"Yes, Doctor Quest." she replied.

"I will help her." and Hadji followed her into the kitchen.

The rest continued down the house's many long halls to Doctor Quest's office. It was a fairly large room with a smooth, black obsidian table governing the center of it. Two thirds of the walls were windows giving out on a spectacular view of the sea cliffs. The last wall had a book shelf and a number of computer monitors. Doctor Quest took a seat at the head of the table, Race at his right facing the windows, and Jonny and Jessie on Doctor Quest's left with their backs to the windows. Hadji and Mrs. Evans walked in moments later, Hadji balancing three trays with ease, then he sat next to Race when he had finished handing out the plates.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans. That'll be all." Doctor Quest acknowledged and she left, dutifully closing the door behind her. "Now, I called you all in here on a matter of utmost importance. While you were outside I received a call from Admiral Bennett. A Priority One communication. He attached the following recording for us to see." and he pressed a button on the smooth table's surface.

As they ate the main computer screen behind Doctor Quest flickered to life to reveal a form hidden in shadows, the voice distorted and audibly lowered in pitch by a computer.

"My dear Prime Minister Chrétien." the voice began, chillingly robotic. "Don't bother having this transmission traced, I'll tell you myself were I, and my associates, are. We are somewhere in beautiful British Columbia, enjoying your wonderful Canadian hospitality. I must admit your constant boasting of your country's pristine beauty is true. Very beneficial for the health. But enough inane banter. You may not know it yet, but at this time I hold your country hostage. Now you probably think I'm bluffing so I have arranged a small demonstration. Picture this: A computer crash in Victoria right before a lovely little virus of deadly proportions, and of my own design hits the city's schools. You should be receiving reports of this as we speak. Children are dying, Mister Prime Minister, and the hospitals can do nothing because the computers, the life lines of your health care, are non-functional. What a little horror I've caused! My demands are simple, Mister Chrétien. I want the equivalent of your National Debt paid to me in American funds to the following Swiss Account number, 95-03-243, all the equipment I ask for from this moment on... Oh, and asylum on a permanent basis in your lovely country in the area I so choose. To show I'm not totally without a heart I will give you six weeks to fulfill my demands. Good day, Mister Prime Minister." and the screen went black.

"Such a gentleman." Jessie muttered sarcastically.

Doctor Quest turned back to the team. "The Prime Minister of Canada contacted the President asking for help with this situation, but they both want to keep this information away from the public to stay any possible uprisings and riots."

Race frowned slightly. "So, in other words, we're the only cavalry."

"I'm afraid so." he sighed grimly.

"Doctor Quest, have either governments discovered who this terrorist is?" Hadji thought to ask.

Benton shook his head in a negative. "The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBI, and the CIA have all run, and re-run, this footage through their latest filter programs and each time they came up empty handed. And British Columbia is a large province. There are so many valleys and mountains to hide in. They could be anywhere." He looked to Jonny who was staring intently at a replay on a small screen in the monitor built into the table's surface. He was frowning in deep concentration, chewing at a morsel of food thoughtfully. "Is something wrong, Jonny?"

His head snapped up as if waking from a dream. "What? Oh, no, nothing's wrong. It's just... I think I have an idea who this guy is."

"Please, continue." Father urged Son hopefully.

Jonny entered a sequence on the hidden console before him and the image re-appeared on the screen behind his Father. "IRIS, infrared scan." The image lit up in a sequence of cold blues and hot reds. Blues dominated the image, but it was more defined now. "Isolate and remove all non-biological heat sources."

"Ooo, big words." Jessie chuckled.

He grinned at her. "Not much bigger than most you've already heard." He turned back to the screen where a warm colored figure was now shown. "IRIS, can you extrapolate from this image and replace the colors with flesh tones? Run a scan through our data banks and find the closest match."

__

"WORKING." 

"What're you going on here, kid?" Race demanded.

"A hunch. Who do we know who has the knowledge and motive to do this sort of thing?"

__

"MATCH FOUND." reported IRIS in answer to Jonny's last question. _"NINETY SEVEN POINT EIGHT PERCENT MATCH TO ONE DOCTOR JEREMIAH SURD."_

Jonny leaned back in his seat with a slightly pleased smile. "Hunch confirmed."

"Good hunch." Race had to agree. "You have a sixth sense for this sort of thing."

Jonny shrugged. "It just fit his MO Plus, he was due to show up. You should know better than anyone, Race, that he doesn't stay out of sight for very long. How much easier crime fighting would be if everyone had a system like IRIS." he mused with a smile.

Jessie snickered. "How boring too."

"But," Hadji began, puzzled. "Isn't Doctor Surd's mind trapped in Questworld, unable to escape?"

"Yeah, I made sure of that." confirmed Jessie. She suddenly sat up straighter. "I have an idea. IRIS, run the audio filter program on the voice. Adjust to eliminate all distortions."

The voice of the recording played again as IRIS made the necessary adjustments.

Race shook his head at a loss. "That still sounds enough like Surd to me."

"I wonder... IRIS, increase the pitch until a voice match can be found in the database." ordered Doctor Quest.

The voice once again began to play, the male like tone changing as it got higher and higher. Finally the changes stopped on a clearly recognizable woman's voice, one they knew all too well.

"Julia." Jessie identified with a grimace before IRIS could identify it.

"For the fox to throw off the scent of the hounds, the fox must disguise the scent. Who else but us would know about Surd's present condition, except maybe her." Hadji voiced.

"Yeah, and this fox's out for our blood." Race grumbled. "She won't be happy 'til the world pays for what she thinks they did to Surd, us first. Julia probably orchestrated this whole thin' knowin' we'd be called in to help clean up the mess. She's nuts which makes her real dangerous to tangle with."

Jonny merely smiled, waving off his concern. "We've dealt with her before. So, when are we leaving for British Columbia?"

"_We_ are not." Benton countered. "Race and I will be going to help the Royal Canadian Mounted Police locate Julia and co-ordinate relief efforts with Doctor Marie Métier. You three will be staying here."

Race, Hadji and Jonny all perked up at the name.

"Marie's there?! I thought she was still up North." Race questioned with a wide smile.

"No, she moved to Simoom Sound in British Columbia and became the local doctor for that region. She's one of the few medical practitioners down there who refuses to use a computer which makes her and her team an invaluable asset."

Jessie nudged Jonny's side to get his attention and leaned towards him to speak without disturbing the others. "Who's this Marie Métier?"

He leaned towards her, his voice hushed. "She's a doctor we ran into when we were up North near Alaska. Turns out she the descendant of the most legendary Métier in history. The one who was reportedly a werewolf."

"Get out!"

"No, seriously. I saw a man change into a wolf right in front of me. Turns out she was immune and was trying to develop a cure for the other remaining member of her family when we found her. We helped her out and barely got the cure to the guy in time." He suddenly grinned. "Your Dad had a thing for her."

"What!? Dad!!" Race's head jerked up with a slight, dreading wince. "Why didn't you tell me about you and this Marie Métier?"

"Because there was nothing to tell." he replied, hoping he sounded convincing.

"Absolutely nothing?" she probed.

"Absolutely, Ponchita." he assured.

She scrutinized him with a deep frown for a moment, before leaning back in her seat. "If you promise there was nothing, then okay."

"I promise."

"Alright then."

"Back on topic here for a second, why can't we come with you guys?" Jonny suddenly demanded.

Doctor Quest sighed silently. He and Jonny always had this discussion each and every time the teen was told to stay behind. "We both know you and Jessie have mid-terms to study for. I want Hadji here to make sure you do study and to make sure you stay out of trouble. You know your reputations..."

"... of getting into mayhem in any given situation, yeah, I know." Jonny groaned in defeat as Jessie tried not to chuckle. It was a battle she was steadily losing. He gave a mock suffering stare. "Don't start."

She held up her hands in defense, suddenly bursting into laughter. "Nothing... I said nothing..." she struggled to say.

He sulked, turning from her. "Nice."

Jessie gripped his thigh gently, giving him a sweet smile. "Don't be such a big baby. We'll have fun here too."

He looked at her hand, then to her, a slight grin working at the corners of his mouth. "I'll hold you to that." He turned back to his Father, sighing. "Can we at least join you after we're done our exams?"

"Yes, but only then." Benton replied with a grin, knowing his Son's zeal for action and adventure. "For this mission the President and the Canadian Prime Minister have both asked for the utmost discretion and secrecy. We are not to speak to anyone about any aspect of this. We leave tomorrow morning."

"I will go prepare the computer equipment you and Race will need, Doctor Quest." Hadji announced as he stood and headed for the door.

Jonny, too, stood. "Which leaves us with K.P. duty. C'mon, Jess." and he and Jessie gathered up the plates.

"Why'd I get dragged into this?" she voiced with a smirk as they walked into the kitchen. 

"I need someone to dry." he merely smiled and tossed her a dish towel before turning to fill the sink with warm water and dish soap. "Besides, we have _plans_ to make." he continued more softly, beginning to wash the plates.

She understood and grinned. "Do we? I always thought we were spontaneous when it came to _that_."

"We are, it's just we have to be more careful since we'll have someone around who has an idea of just how far we've gone. Plus, we have to get more... _supplies_." and he handed her the first of the plates, a bright seductive gleam in his blue eyes.

She nearly dropped the plate so much this caught her off guard. Mrs. Evans turned to them at that moment to make sure they were doing a good job. Jessie smiled au her in acknowledgment to which she smiled back and turned away. 

Jessie lowered her voice. "Already?" she questioned. "You told me you had a box full."

"I did, but we've been a little more _active_ lately." he merely replied, still grinning.

"Oh." she giggled. "Right."

They finished the plates and put them away. "I'm gonna go help my Dad pack, you know, to alleviate any of his fears." he told her as he wiped the soap off his hands with the dishtowel.

"Ooo, more big words." she cooed, wiping her hands as well.

He smiled and pulled her into his arms, holding her against himself. "And here are some more for you to consider." and he began to whisper something in her ear. Her eyes went wide with a gasp, then she began to giggle uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around him. "That should give you something to look forward to for later." he chuckled.

"Why does it have to be later?" she breathed seductively, nuzzling his cheek.

"'Cause I can just imagine either one of our Dads walking in on us. God knows we wouldn't live very long after that."

"Good point. I'll wait for you, anxiously."

"I can imagine. Tomorrow, after they're gone." he promised.

She grinned. "Pinky swear?" and she held up a hooked pinky finger.

He hooked his pinky finger with hers, returning the smile. "Pinky swear." A tender kiss to her lips then sent him off to find his Father on the house's second floor. He was grumbling something about world's greatest inventions and looking for light in a black hole under his breath as he searched through the large walk-in closet. "Can't find something, Pop?" Jonny inquired carefully.

The elder Quest turned to find his Son standing in the doorway. "Jonny, yes. The larger of my suitcases." and he returned to hunting through his things.

"I think Jess still has it from when you lent it to her to go to San Francisco. I can check..."

"Please." he sighed, finally giving up.

Jonny went to the top of the stairs and leaned over the railing. "Hey, Jess!"

She came running into sight below him. "Yeah?"

"You still have Dad's suitcase? He needs it."

"Check my closet. It should still be there."

"Thanks, Ace." he smiled.

Mrs. Evans was climbing the stairs at that moment with a basket full of clean laundry. "I really don't get you kids." she voiced. "Jessie won't let any of the others into her room when she isn't there, not even me or her Father, and yet you can walk in whenever you want."

Jonny just smiled. "The privileges of being her boyfriend, Mrs. Evans." and he went to retrieve the suitcase. 

He opened the door to Jessie's room, stepped un, closed it, and just stood there for a moment with his eyes closed. He could feel Jessie's presence permeating this room. A faint hint of strawberries wafted through the air. Given the chance he could stay here all day, but his Father was waiting. Jonny opened his eyes and retrieved the suitcase from her closet. He then left, entered his Father's room, and placed the empty suitcase on the bed. 

"So, how long do you think this little problem will take to solve?"

"The virus shouldn't take too long. Julia must have gone through Surd's files to develop it. Reverse researching it shouldn't be very hard."

"What about finding Julia?"

"That might take a little longer. What puzzles me is she said I, and my associates. Surd isn't much help to her in his present state, which only leaves Lorenzo."

"But like you said, it was associates plural."

"Exactly my point. Who are the others she was referring to? Why don't you have IRIS run a scan for any recent jail breaks, checking for those who have it in for us."

Jonny smirked. "Long list. Can you give me something to narrow it down?"

Benton chuckled. "Right. Look back a month or so, anyone with medical and or computer skills who had help escaping. That should narrow the list of suspects down to about forty or so."

"A list of forty or so to go through to find those with the best motive. Well, this sure won't be a boring two weeks."

Benton merely chuckled before giving his Son a serious look. "Now, I want you three to behave during that time, especially you and Jessie."

Jonny jerked in surprise, slightly fearful. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you two are getting closer and closer as the days go by and I know that, as teens, you're probably getting curious about taking the next step."

"Geez, Dad!" he admonished looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"No, I mean it. I want you to be responsible if things begin to happen." His Son took on an air of debating hesitation as if wondering whether he should tell his Father something. "What is it?"

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resolve. "It's too late, Dad."

"What's too late?" Benton was clearly confused.

Again he hesitated. "Jess and I... We... already took the next step." he finally stated.

Total shock crossed Benton's face at his Son's admission. "You what!?" he nearly shouted.

"We... you know... God, Dad, do I really have to go into details? Please, don't tell Race."

"And just when were you two planning on telling us?"

"Don't know, really. We didn't force it on each other, if that's what you're wondering. No peer pressure. It was what we both wanted. We were careful, Dad, honest."

Benton crossed his arms across his chest. "From when does this date back?"

"Four months ago, when you guys went to bring Estella back to South America." he answered in slight fear, but all honesty.

Father scrutinized Son for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Well, there's nothing I can do about this now. So long as you're careful--"

"We are."

"Alright then. When we come back at the en of all this I want both you and Jessie to sit down with us and have a long talk about this, understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now, help me finish packing. Race and I are leaving early tomorrow morning."

* * *

Jessie sat at a computer terminal in the lighthouse, deeply engrossed in a program she was writing for Questworld, a personal program meant for her and only one other. A small grin tugged at the corners of her lips. Deep down she knew she was a hopeless romantic. Everyone at the Quest Compound and some of her closer friends knew this too. And to make her forever happy Jonny had gladly given in to that side of his girlfriend. The proof was in the way he looked at her now and the words he used to woo her. He had brushed up on his romantic Shakespearean plays, reciting lines to her at times, and she often found him with his nose pressed in his Mother's old book of poems. This program she was working on was based on several of those poems from that book. She tingled at the prospects of sharing it with Jonny when she was finished. She saved what work she had done, blanked the screen, and stretched her arms above her head just as the door opened, letting in a sharp breeze. She turned to see Hadji and Jonny walk in, both covered in snow.

"Another snowball fight?" she questioned with a smirk.

"It's the first snowfall." Jonny replied, removing his coat and shaking the snow out of his hair and shirt collar. "I'm taking advantage of it."

"And letting Hadji turn you into Frosty the Snowman by the looks of it. Sure you two left some snow out there?" she chuckled, turning back to the monitor.

"There is plenty left to bury him in it later." Hadji quipped, punching his Brother's shoulder.

"Not if I get to you first." he countered, punching him back in return.

Jonny hung up his coat, then headed for Jessie. He gripped her shoulder tenderly, causing her to let her head fall back to smile up at him, then he placed a gentle kiss on her lips in greeting. He pulled back slightly to smile down at her, sitting at her side with Hadji at her other. "So, what're you up to?"

"Just a little something for a rainy day." she replied, giving Jonny a wink. He smiled, understanding. "Apart from the battle you guys had, what brings you in here?"

It was Hadji who answered. "Doctor Quest would like us to begin a search to determine who Julia's other accomplices might be. We must search through police and prison records."

"One legal hacking job coming up. What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anyone with medical know-how to create the virus and anyone with computer skills to track down Surd's mind floating in virtual reality." Jonny answered. "Prison break-outs, of people who have a vendetta against us, are a priority."

Jessie's fingers flew over the keyboard, punching in sequence after sequence of codes and numbers. "Parameters set. Beginning search." She leaned back in her seat with a satisfied sigh. "This should take a few minutes. So, what're we doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"I was planning on meditating for most of the afternoon, to mentally prepare myself to encourage you both to study." Hadji replied.

Jonny winced. "Ouch! I can't be sure, but I think we've just been dissed, Jess."

"I think we have, Jonny."

Hadji merely chuckled. "And what do you have planned?"

"Ah, now there's a touchy subject." Jessie replied with a playful grin in Jonny's direction.

"Something best to be left for a more private time. Very well. I understand."

Jonny eyes widened slightly. "Do you?"

Hadji merely leaned back with a small smile and a wink. The young couple merely stared at the young Sultan of Bangalore for a moment, stunned, before turning to smile knowingly at each other. 

""Kefira."" they stated in unison, then laughed. 

Hadji merely frowned a grin. "At least we had more restraint than you."

Jessie began to laugh even harder. "Ow, dissed again!" 

"You've been practicing, Hadj." Jonny grinned. 

He chuckled. "One must be prepared for any situation that may arise."

Jonny was more amused than convinced. "Right." He looked over at the computer at the names beginning to scroll there. "Hey, we got our list." 

They read it over, but Hadji, being the faster reader, stiffened suddenly. "Oh dear." he muttered.

"What?"

"Kyle Merrick." he replied.

Jessie looked at him sharply. "I thought he was caught just before he left the country?"

"He was, thanks to your dream. According to this he escaped with help less than a month ago. It was reported that he was heading North, but the authorities lost his trail somewhere in North Dakota."

Unseen, Jessie's hand gripped Jonny's in fear and he gave it a squeeze. Kyle Merrick was obsessed with Jessie to the point of near madness. They had met him after a plane accident in the Colombian rainforests. She, Jonny and Kyle had ended up locked in the same room for one night and he had tried to rape her that very night. Jonny had stopped him just in time. Kyle subscribed to the cliché that if he couldn't have her no one would. She was terrified of him.

"Anyone else we have experience with?" Jonny asked, opting to change the subject for Jessie's sake..

"Lesser criminals with minor medical and computer skills. Ah, this is interesting!"

"What is it?" Jessie inquired.

"The authorities deemed it important to note the itinerary of Francesca Hamilton. She boarded a plane heading for Montreal, then one to Calgary, then one to destination unknown."

"Sounds a little too fishy to me." Jonny voiced. "Merrick heads North and so does Francesca. I think we found two key players in Julia's little game. What about the other breakouts?"

"Peter Stanton is the only other important name." Peter Stanton was a madman, a murderous psychopath, the Quest Team had encountered in the area around Rockport. He was summarily sent to a maximum security insane asylum where he began to nurse an incredible grudge against Jonny in particular. "The others were not deemed important enough to follow up on. Petty criminals."

"Then we have to trace them too, just to be on the safe side. Can we call up a list of aliases?" 

"I can try." Jessie began to type again at a phenomenal speed entering in a new set of parameters. "This one'll take a few days. Guys like that have loads of AKA's so I'm going through every FBI, CIA, police, RCMP, and CSIS criminal data base out there. We might get an answer by this time next week. Then we have to go through boarding lists of all the airports in North America. Ugh, this'll be a brain drainer."

"So what do we do now?"

The three teens looked at each other before breaking out into smiles. ""SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!"" they shouted, then raced for their coats before leaping into the snow banks outside.

* * *

Julia paced angrily from one end of the room to the other, her dyed black hair whipping with each turn. Her green eyes flashed as her anger rose. Things were not going as she planned. Seven of the nine experts, she and Lorenzo had taken the time and the effort to break out of the various maximum security prisons, had arrived. The two she needed for her next job still hadn't shown up. She was a computer expert, she knew that well, probably was the second best next to Surd. But still, for what she had planned she needed all the help she could get. Lorenzo was canon fodder, expendable if things got too sticky, but he was one man. She needed more like him. Three more to be exact. One of them was already there.

Leaning nonchalantly against a wall was that one, a petite raven haired woman dressed in very tight jeans and a white crop top. Her deep violet eyes watched Julia pace, a tiny grin on her ruby red lips. An aura of pure feminism radiated from her every pore. This was a woman who knew she was beautiful, who knew she had sex appeal, and used it with practiced expertise.

"Did you at least tell these two gentlemen that you were going to pay them?" she asked in a honey smooth voice with just enough of a hint of goading to annoy Julia.

This wasn't the first time she had used this tone of voice with her. "Don't test me, Francesca. Merrick was interested enough in the pay I promised. It's Stanton I can't be sure of. His record stated he was unstable. I should've put a tracer on him when we broke him out."

"And how can you be certain this Merrick guy is more trustable?"

"Because _this Merrick guy_ is here." came a new voice from the door.

Both Julia and Francesca Hamilton looked up. A young, brown haired man stood in the door. He was dressed all in black, a leather jacket casually slung over one shoulder. Francesca's breath caught in her throat painfully at the sight of this ruggedly handsome young man. All the black he wore accentuated his well chiseled features, making him all the more impressive. For the longest time she had been obsessed with Jonny Quest. Years back she had met him with the sole purpose of gathering information on his Father's equipment, but inadvertently ended up falling in love with young Quest. She had been willing to go to any length to keep him. And that meant getting rid of Jessie Bannon. She ha come so very close too, putting Jessie in the hospital, but Jonny had become even more tied to Jessie since then. She had tried to get him again. But now, as she looked at this new comer, she felt a shifting of tides within her. He looked incredible, his grey eyes seeming to pierce her to her black soul. He was dangerous, she could feel it, and she thrilled from it.

He stepped into the room towards Julia. "So, you're the one I owe my freedom to." He offered his hand in greeting. "Kyle Merrick, your new Merc. Whatever you need, whoever you want dead, I'll make it happen."

"Julia. And this young lady is your new partner, Francesca Hamilton, also a mercenary. You'll find you and her are a lot alike. What knowledge you may lack she'll fill them in."

Kyle didn't even give Francesca so much as a look. "I work alone." he protested.

Julia came menacingly close, hatred and anger burning in her eyes. He didn't even flinch. "Not while I'm in charge. You and all the others are the best there are and we are all familiar with the Quests and Bannons. I want them dead. For that, you'll all work as a team. You got that?"

Kyle frowned. "Yeah. I got it." he bit out.

"Good. Where're the others?"

"Their in the computer room." And without another word Julia stormed past him and out of the room. Kyle stood where he was, glowering at the door through which Julia had disappeared. _Who's this woman to be ordering me around?_ he questioned inwardly.

"Don't take her seriously." came a soothing voice. "Julia knows all our reasons for wanting to get back at the Quests, but she thinks her reasons are more important."

He faced Francesca and mentally marveled at this tiny, if not provocative, woman. She was feminine in every way and knew it. Her tight clothing hugged every curve, leaving nothing up to the imagination. In her eyes Kyle saw a fire, burning with what fuel he didn't know. In his mind he truly felt this woman could make him forget Jessie Bannon.

"Oh? And what exactly is your reason to get rid of the Quests?" he demanded, hoping to sound uninterested in her.

Her lips curled back into a stunning smile. "I'm only interested in getting rid of one person: Jessie Bannon. She stole the one good thing in my life."

"Let me guess: He didn't think you were right for him." He sighed. "Story of my life. She was going to be mine. I had her, or would have if he hadn't gotten in the way." Kyle suddenly frowned. "But why am I telling you this?"

She pushed off the wall and sashayed towards him. "Because you're realizing Julia was right about us." Francesca slid her index finger from his collar bone down to his belt, all the while giving him a sultry smile. "We're the same, you and I, like it or not." she very nearly cooed.

He struggled to hide his shiver and goose bumps from her. "Right." he stated, sounding unconvinced.

She made a dismissive sound as she gave a wave of her hand, having seen his reaction reflected in his eyes. "Suit yourself." and she turned to walk away. "Oh, by the way. Don't get on Julia's bad side. She may not look it, but I've seen her kill a man twice her size."

"Yeah? And what did he do that was so wrong?"

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "He corrected her elocution." She then walked out of the room, her hips swaying seductively.

He was stunned for a moment, more by her actions than words, then decided to jog to catch up to her. Together they entered the computer room. It was aptly named. Lining every wall was a series of computers and various equipment all buzzing, clicking and beeping with life. One corner was sealed off in a kind of Plexiglas material, a rustic yet medically sound laboratory. 

An elderly man, Basil Thornton, and a young woman with bright yellow hair, Aidan Armand, worked behind the glass completely clad in environmental suits. He was a medical genius with so many degrees in molecular biology and bio-engineering that one easily lost count, but who, in need of money, had sold his research on the Black Market. She, on the other hand, had stolen all the medical knowledge she had in the same fields. And all that information she had committed to memory to prevent a theft from occurring to her. 

At the computers sat a young man, Ted Milani, and two women, one young named Cassidy Bela, the other older named Ethyl Erma, all under the supervision of Lorenzo. Milani, a small man with little in the way of looks, was a self proclaimed computer expert who had been caught hacking into government files. Bela, her purple hair cut short and spiked, was a hacker for hire, caught stealing information for an employer she refused to betray. And Erma was just in the wrong place at the wrong time during a case of computer espionage. She was accused and summarily arrested. 

A woman stood with Julia over blue prints of various buildings, her body that of a dancer's, her brown hair tied in a tight braid down past her waist. In a wheelchair that completely encased him and hooked up to the computers was the inert Doctor Jeremiah Surd.

"Who's the old man?" Kyle asked, indicating Surd with his chin.

"The reason we're all here. Doctor Surd." Francesca answered softly.

"Doesn't look like much."

"Don't let Julia hear you say that." She smiled up at him. "It would be a shame to lose you now that you're here."

Outwardly, he showed nothing. Inwardly, his heart skipped a painful beat. _Oh yeah, she knows which buttons to press._

"There you are." Julia announced, catching Kyle and Francesca's attention. "If you're sufficiently resolved with each other you can come here for your briefing." They approached the table and regarded the plans. "This is Katianna Souriskova. For this job she's in charge." Julia looked directly at Kyle. "You got that?" He remained quiet, setting his jaw. "Good. I want you to go to the Canadian Armed Forces Base of Chilliwack and hijack weapons, equipment, and a vehicle."

"From a Military Base? Are you nuts?" Francesca shot him a wide eyed glance, shaking her head slightly to warn him off. He frowned in return, silently telling her not a chance.

"If you follow my instructions we'll get in and out before they realize it." Katianna told him, raising her eyes for the first time. Kyle was surprised at the golden amber orbs now staring at him. "I've done this a hundred times. The Canadian Military is stretched thin with all the cut backs their government is doing. Even their most secure depot have maybe twenty guards watching it and two Military Police cars patrolling."

"You seem to know a lot about this." Francesca asked skeptically.

Katianna shrugged. "I've spent some time in Canada. I've gotten to know the ins and outs of their military, museums, banks. Nothing can keep out the Kat when she's on the move."

Kyle looked at Julia in disbelief. "You hired a thief?"

Julia frowned. "I need her for her skills as a thief and as an unknown face. She's bait for Race Bannon."

"Please, Julia. You make that last bit of my job sound like such a bad thing." Katianna chuckled. "It'll be fun distracting this guy."

"Just follow the plan. Lorenzo, take the helicopter and go to Maine. I have a feeling Stanton went there instead of here. Find him and bring him back."

* * *

"Alright, now remember, kids." Benton warned at he and the three teens crossed the tarmac, at the Boston Airport, to the Dragonfly. "I want you three to behave while we're gone."

"Nothing will happen, Doctor Quest. I will see to it." Hadji grinned in reassurance.

Jonny frowned a smirk. "Traitor." he muttered as they stopped at the base of the boarding ramp to the Dragonfly.

Jessie could only giggle. "Don't worry, Doctor Quest. We'll behave." and she gave Benton a goodbye hug.

Benton grinned. "Right, I'm sure you will." Releasing her he hugged Hadji, then held his Son. "Remember what I said yesterday. We have g lot to talk about when we get back."

"Yes, Sir. Take care of yourself, Dad."

"Will do." he chuckled. 

He mussed up his Son's hair affectionately, then boarded the Dragonfly. The three teens retreated to a safe distance as the jet's engines whined to life. It pulled away slowly, taxied down a runway, then raced off before taking off into the clear blue skies.

Jonny watched the plane disappear into a tiny dot in the sky. "Well, there they go." He turned to his friends. "Who wants to do what?"

"Mrs. Evans invited me on a shopping trip downtown." Jessie stated as they started back to the van.

"Cool."

"Hold it, Lover." she grinned, stopping him. "Girls only. You and Hadji will just have to find something else to do while we're gone." Jonny had a dejected look on his face. Jessie touched his cheek tenderly. "I'll find something nice and make it up to you tonight, I promise." she whispered against his lips.

"Better keep that promise, Gorgeous." he breathed, then kissed her lips.

They drove back to the Quest Compound where Mrs. Evans was waiting for Jessie. Within moments the two women were driving off for town. This left the boys to enter the house.

"Guys afternoon at home, eh, Hadj?"

"So it would seem." He suddenly began to fidget in an internal debate.

"Something wrong, Bro?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I need to ask you something, Jonny."

"Sure." They entered the Family Room and sat opposite each other. A bright warm fire crackled in the large fireplace. A hint of hickory and walnut wafted through the air. "What is it?"

"It is about my relationship with Kefira Subramanian."

"What about it? Don't tell me you're having second thought about her? I thought she was the love of your life?"

"No, she is. It's just we... I..." He sighed heavily, resting his arms on his knees. "How does one know when one is ready?"

"Ready to... What?" Jonny prompted. Hadji merely gave him a look somewhere between a prompting and a blank stare. Jonny suddenly understood. "Oh! Well... uh..." He looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I don't really know, buddy. With Jess and me the moment just felt... right."

"But how does one recognize that feeling?"

"You just do. There aren't any bells or whistles that go off. I guess... I don't know... If you know for a fact that this is the person you want to spend every living moment with for as long as there's a second left in the Universe, then one day you'll wake up and you'll know that particular day is the day when everything changes. If you can still feel her in your arms when she isn't there, still taste her, then the time's almost right."

Hadji listened intently, then suddenly smirked. "You speak from experience, my friend?"

Jonny leaned back in his seat with a shy grin. "Yeah, maybe I do. Jess makes it so easy, you know. I swear, Hadj, if Kefira can make you feel even half as good as Jess makes me feel everyday we're together, then you're in for a real treat. Just, let her do the initiating. Women know when the time's right. Why did you feel the need to ask all this anyway?"

Hadji looked away, suddenly looking tired. "My Mother is pushing for Kefira and I to wed. She feels we are old enough and wants to secure the future of our Family line on the throne. I am not sure we are ready yet."

"And that's why you wanted to know when you feel the time is right?" Hadji nodded. "It's just the way your Mother is. I mean, think about it. Neela lost you when your Father died, she spent years in jail, she finds you again only to have to share you with your family here. That has to be hard on her."

"But why does she insist I marry so quickly?"

"I think its because she sees it as a way to keep you in Bangalore. Once you're married you'd have to stay there and... produce an heir. She finally gets her Son back and she wants to keep you. Best advice? Sit her down and talk everything through. Ask her why she wants all of this and tell her why you don't."

"I guess you are right, My Brother. When I return to Bangalore I will do as you suggest." He suddenly smiled at his adoptive Brother. "Thank you. And now you must begin to study."

Jonny groaned. "Oh, don't start with me, Hadj."

"I have promised your Father that I would make sure you and Jessie study. Until she returns I turn my attention to you. What is the saying? _Hit the books_?" and he indicated Jonny's book bag next to a large recliner.

"You're a regular slave driver, you know that?" he accused as he moved to the recliner, pulling out a large binder and a number of textbooks. "And after I just helped you out with your problem."

He merely chuckled. "Never a moments rest for the weary, my friend. Go to it."

"Dictator." Jonny muttered, opening his books and beginning to memorize the information.

Hadji watched for a few seconds more before sitting lotus style and entering a deep state of meditation, letting his mind float away on the eddies and currents of the Astral Plane. This was how Jessie and Mrs. Evans found them a few hours later. Their arms were loaded each with bags from certain stores and the grocery store. Two bags Jessie kept clutched preciously close to hide them. The smaller of the two was clearly a pharmacy bag. She set the grocery bag she carried in the kitchen, then went to the Family Room. She stopped in the door at the think silence that reigned here. Hadji sat perfectly still, his mind floating somewhere between here and beyond, and Jonny had his nose pressed in a stack of notes and textbooks. 

As if he sensed her standing there Jonny raised his head and smiled at her. He pointed to Hadji and mouthed _meditating_. She smiled back and nodded. She showed him one of the bags she had kept so preciously, her smile becoming a playful grin. He could read the bright pink writing on it, _Victoria's Secrets_. His smile became lopsided. _I love you_, he mouthed.

__

I know, she mouthed in return. She then began to tiptoe away towards the stairs. After hiding her purchase she would come back to join him.

"Not until you study for a few hours." Hadji suddenly voiced.

Jessie froze. "How...?"

"When one is at total peace one is silent. This helps when you are listening for another person's breathing." he grinned, still not moving or opening his eyes. "You can show off your purchases to Jonny after you finish studying."

Her eyes went wide. "Now how'd you know about _that_ one?"

"I heard the bag rustling. Now, I believe you said your first exam was chemistry?"

She sighed heavily. "Alright, don't have to tell me twice." she groaned, retrieving her book bag and dropping into a chair opposite of Jonny. Jessie wasn't used to being told, by anyone, to study. This was something she did willingly, but she knew the only reason Hadji told her to do this was out of fairness to Jonny. This one _always_ had to be pushed to study. Since Hadji had ordered him into this task it _was_ only fair he do the same to Jessie. She hid her bags from the store from sight, then pulled out her notes and textbooks. "You're pulling weight because you're the oldest." she accused.

"I am at that. You have three hours left before supper. Study until then and you may have the rest of the evening off. Deal?"

""Deal."" the two replied grudgingly.

A long, quiet hour went by as Hadji continued to meditate and Jessie and Jonny continued to study diligently. His eyes becoming tired, Jonny closed them and pinched the bridge of his nose. They felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. Leaning his cheek on his knuckles he looked across the room to where Jessie sat, still engrossed in her studies. A small grin turned up the corners of his lips. Her chin rested on her fingers as her incredible emerald eyes skimmed the contents of every page. Her ruby red lips moved slightly as she memorized the information. The fire caught the reds and deep coppers of her hair. She was simply stunning, breath-taking.

As is sensing his eyes drinking her in, Jessie blinked and looked up. Sure enough her was smiling at her. She returned the smile willingly. Sometimes she wondered how she could have missed seeing the boyish good looks in this handsome young man as they were growing up. His clear blue eyes glowed with a caring and loving light towards his family, with the want of adventure when they were off in some exotic local, with steel towards an enemy, and with undying passion when he looked only at her. Like now. His body had been chiseled to just the right proportions over the years of missions and constant action. He winked at her and an involuntary shiver raced down her spine pleasantly, knowing what he was thinking.

__

Later, she mouthed with a grin. 

He nodded with a small sigh and they both turned their attention back to their notes. As information bombarded their minds they hardly noticed the time fly by until Mrs. Evans walked into the Family Room.

"My, I've never heard such quiet from you kids." she marveled.

"Blame that on the _Task Master_ sitting there." Jonny smirked, indicating Hadji with a jerk of his chin.

"Whoever's fault it is, thank you. Dinner's ready in the kitchen."

Jessie and Jonny Looked to Hadji who slowly unfolded his legs from under him and stood. Only then did he open his eyes and smile at his friends. "You both upheld your end of the bargain. And I will uphold mine. Your studies are over for the day."

The two teens quickly put their books away, leapt to their feet, and headed for the kitchen. They were just about to sit down when one of IRIS's security alarms went off. "IRIS, identify disturbance!" Jonny called over the din of the sirens.

__

"UNIDENTIFIED MALE INTRUDER LOCATED IN BOAT HOUSE." 

With Mrs. Evans behind them they dashed into Doctor Quest's office and activated all the security cameras for the boat house. They panned through six shots before finally finding the intruder. He was sneaking around the edge of the _Questor_. Jessie pressed the zoom button to get a closer look.

"I don't believe it!" she gasped.

Creeping towards the tunnel door, leading to the house, was Peter Stanton. He was easy to recognize with his long, tousled brown hair and five o'clock shadow beard. He turned enough for the camera to catch his blood shot eyes and a gaping, profusely salivating mouth of rotting teeth. Jonny's mind immediately flashed back to the first moment they had met this psychopath. He was an ex-Marine they had run across two years prior in downtown Rockport. Given a dis-honorary discharge from the Marines for disorderly conduct and attacking fellow officers, Stanton had decided the world had to pay for what had happened to him, starting with the town his unit was in when he was discharged. The Quest Team had run across him by accident and had stopped him at every psychotic turn he took. But to Stanton it wasn't the team that stopped him. It was Jonny Quest and he developed a deep rooted hatred for the young teen. Mere sight caused Stanton to fly into a rage. He had been sent to a maximum security asylum, but now, here he was on the Quest Compound.

Jonny shook his head in dismay. "That guy doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

"One should never try to apply reason to the mind of the insane." Hadji told him. "They have their own way of seeing things."

"Unfortunately. IRIS, seal off boat house."

__

"BOAT HOUSE SEALED." 

"Okay, he's locked in now. Anyone have any idea how we're going to deal with him without getting ourselves killed in the process?"

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm taking my precautions." Jessie voiced as she moved to one of the book cases. She tipped one of the novels on a shelf and a panel opened up to a mini stash of rifles and hand weapons. The two men and Mrs. Evans gaped in shock. "Dad made a point to show this to me, just in case." She chose a police issue twelve gauge shotgun and loaded a round into the chamber. "He so much as twitches wrong and I give him a new look."

Jonny looked at her. "Remind me to stay off your bad side." he voiced.

She grinned back seductively. "You could never get on my bad side, Hot Shot." Taking another shotgun she handed it to Mrs. Evans. The elderly woman held it gingerly with a look of protest on her face. "For defense, Mrs. Evans. This one's loaded with rock salt. It'll hurt him enough to give you time to run for it."

She nodded reluctantly, hugging the weapon close, and the three teens ran for the door, pausing only long enough to don their coats. The made their way to the boat house, making sure to stay away from the windows and therefore remain out of sight. Just as they turned a corner to reach the door, Jonny turned to Jessie to stop her. She looked at him, confused.

"I want you to stay here, Jess." he told her.

"No, Jonny--!"

"Don't argue with me about this. I don't want you to get hurt." He took her shoulders firmly and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen to me, Ace. We need someone out here in case he gets past us. You'll be our _Ace in the hole_. Please, just do this."

"Jonny is right, Jessie. We need someone out here to stop him in case he gets past us. And you have the gun."

She opened her mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again and reluctantly nodded in agreement. Hadji went on ahead, but Jessie gripped Jonny's arm to hold him back. She looked into his eyes with pure worry and concern. "You know how he flies off the handle each time he sees you. Be careful, Lover." she whispered to him.

He gave her his lopsided grin as he tenderly cupped her cheek. "For you, always." he assured, then dashed off to join Hadji. The young Sultan had his ear pressed to the door. "What's he doing?"

"Most likely destroying some of your Father's valuable equipment from the sounds of it."

"Wacko." he muttered to the door. "IRIS, unlock main door, silently." There was an almost inperceivable click as the computer responded to the voice command. "Okay, Hadj, on three... THREE!!"

They burst through the door and tackled Stanton to the ground, having caught him by surprise. He struggled wildly, shouting and grunting, trying madly to get these two teens off his back. It was like trying to hold on to the back of a bucking horse, never getting the chance to reaffirm a grip. Stanton managed to get his foot against Hadji's mid-section and shoved him away hard, knocking the wind out of him as he hit against the hull of the _Questor_. Jonny held on a little longer until the madman grabbed his coat, flipping him over his shoulder and slammed him hard to the floor. That's when he got his first good look at this attacker.

"_You!!_" he shouted, his demeanor becoming even more violent and less calculated. 

Stanton punched downwards, aiming for Jonny's face. Jonny saw it coming and managed to roll out of the way in time. He leapt to his feet, facing his opponent, and waited at ready for the next move. He didn't keep him waiting. He lunged forward, landing a punch to Jonny's stomach before taking aim for his head. He ducked enough for the punch to fly wide, but didn't manage to get far enough away to be out of Stanton's reach. He grabbed his arms in a bruising grip and backed him hard into a wall. Jonny tried everything to break free, but it was no use. Stanton's grip was like a vice, getting tighter by the minute. Hadji, having sufficiently recovered his breath, jumped the madman from behind, intending to help his Brother get free. Stanton back fisted him in the face, sending him reeling against the hull of the ship again. With that free hand Stanton clamped down on Jonny throat, beginning to squeeze the life out of him, closing off his access to air. Jonny saw stars as the blood stopped reaching his brain. His lungs burned. He needed air. As his vision began to go black he made a desperate move. He struck upward with his palm, connecting with Stanton's chin. The choking grip fell away, a flash of oxygen filling Jonny's lungs, but the restraining grip remained. Enraged, Stanton threw him towards the door with all his might. Off balance, Jonny struck the door jab with his shoulder before landing in the snow bank outside.

"Jonny!" Jessie cried from somewhere to his right.

"Stay there, Jess!" he called back, more out of instinctual protection of her that from actually having thought up a reason.

Before he had time to even feel his latest injury, Stanton came barreling out of the door like some runaway steam engine. He aimed straight for Jonny. Sometime before racing out he had gotten his hands on an oar for one of the kayaks and now swung it high to strike young Quest dead. Before he could begin bringing it down a loud gunshot rang through the air, stopping Stanton dead in his tracks not two meters from his intended target. They both turned to see Jessie returning the butt of the shotgun to her shoulder and aiming at the madman. The hot barrel smoked in the cold winter air.

"You hurt him and, so help me God, I'll kill you." she ground in fierce determination. "Now, put the oar down and back off." Stanton made a step toward Jonny and another shot rang out. He felt the bullet streak by just inches from his face. He looked at her. It was as if she hadn't even moved. "That was a warning shot. The next one's in your head. I'll only say it once, put the oar down and _back off_." As Stanton slowly lowered the oar to the snow, Jessie hear a faint thumping sound. _My heart_, she thought. _With this much adrenaline flowing no wonder I can hear it._ The madman moved away from Jonny, towards the cliff's edge and Hadji appeared in the boat house's doorway, rubbing his sore jaw. The thumping sound got louder with each passing second. Realization dawned on Jessie. This wasn't the sound of her heart beating. _A helicopter!_ As if in confirmation a Tomcat helicopter rose up over the cliff edge. The late afternoon light reflected through the cockpit glass, momentarily illuminating the pilot. The split second was enough for Jessie to identify him. _Lorenzo!_ The Tomcat flew higher, revealing a rope ladder dangling from it's underbelly. Stanton immediately understood what was intended here and he took off at a run for the cliff. Lorenzo tipped the Tomcat forward to meet up with his passenger. _Oh no you don't! _Jessie raised the shotgun sight a few degrees and started firing off rounds at the Tomcat. She could hear every ping as her shots hit their target harmlessly. She continued to fire nonetheless.

Stanton leapt into the air, grabbing hold of the rope ladder, laughing maniacally at the three helpless teens below. He pointed at Jonny in particular. "You're dead, Quest!" he called down to him. "You're dead! I'll make sure of it!" and his laughter faded as the Tomcat moved farther away.

Seeing as they were now out of range Jessie turned to her friends. Jonny was just now getting to his feet, rubbing his shoulder, and Hadji was scowling at the disappearing dot of black that was the Tomcat as he went over to where Jonny stood. She joined them. 

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"Nothing a couple hundred shots of novocaine won't fix." Jonny grumbled.

Hadji rubbed his jaw with a slight grin. "Agreed. A most painful situation."

Jessie smirked. "And I walk out bruise free."

"Girls have all the luck." Jonny quipped. Then he sighed, looking in the direction the Tomcat had disappeared in. "Well, that's another player on Surd's team we can be sure of. Three down... and whatever left to go."

"Given any other situation than this I would suggest alerting the authorities."

"But...?"

"But, seeing as we must keep this information from the public, I suggest we go reassure Mrs. Evans that this incident is over... for now."

"That sounds like a plan." Jonny grinned slightly as they walked back towards the house. 

Jessie took his arm and he winced in visible pain. She backed off. "Oops! Sorry." 

He waived her concern away with a small grin. They returned to the house, managed to convince Mrs. Evans that everything was back to as close as normal as anything got on the Quest Compound, and put the weapons away. The rest of the evening was quiet, the meal delicious but uneventful. Jessie would occasionally glance at her boyfriend during the meal, seeing him wince in pain from every sudden movement he made. But she respected his unspoken wish to keep his injuries as secret as possible. He later excused himself for the rest of the night and went upstairs to the bathroom.

Jonny started the shower, making the water as hot as he could stand, stripped of his clothes and stepped under the steady stream. He stuck his head under the flow, letting the hot water just flow over him, then let his head loll back as he slicked him hair away from his eyes. His muscles ached from the fight, a knot had formed in his neck and shoulders, bruises beginning to darken on his arms. But this liquid heat was slowly easing the pains away. He rubbed his own neck for a moment, trying to help the water ease the aches away. He was tired, the adrenaline finally leaving his system. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. _Much better_, he thought with satisfaction. _I could stay here for hours._

His eyes suddenly snapped opened and he stared at the opaque, dark blue shower curtain as if he could see right through it. _I could've sworn I just heard the door open_. He listened for a few moments more before finally shrugging and turning his face back into the stream of hot water. _You're paranoid, ol' buddy._

He stood there for minutes more, letting the water flow over his shoulders and down his naked body, when he suddenly felt a pair of arms snake around his mid-section from behind him. He looked down at these arms and saw small hands, delicate hands, woman's hands, gliding across his chest. _Jessie_, he grinned. She pressed herself closer to him, placing her full, naked length completely in contact with his body. Her hands were flat against his chest, her cheek resting on the back of his shoulder. They stood there, quiet, enjoying the body contact they were sharing. He then looked at her contented features from over his shoulder.

"This could be dangerous when we try to leave." he told her.

"No, it won't." she sighed. "Hadji's locked himself off in his room, meditating to _re-align his spirit _or something like that, and Mrs. Evans left for home about ten minutes ago. No prying eyes, no listening ears."

"And you're loving every moment." he smirked.

She chuckled. "You know I am. Aren't you?"

"Did I say otherwise?"

"No."

"Then I am enjoying this as much as you are."

He felt her smile against his shoulder shortly before her face pressed against the back of his neck. Her hands began to trace circles against his chest, gradually moving lower to the flat washboard of his stomach. She blindly grazed the ridges of his hard muscles with her fingers. He felt his body unconsciously respond to her touch. He wondered if she knew what she was doing to him.

"Do you know what I want to do right now?" she breathed into his ear.

"No. Give me a clue?"

Her hands suddenly reached down and took his hardening member in a hand over hand grip. His breath caught in his throat in surprise, then he released it in a shuddering groan as her hands caressed his shaft.

"Enough of a clue for you?" she queried playfully.

He managed a smile. "Who's room?" His voice had become gruff in arousal.

"No. Here. Now."

"But..." He turned to her, looking into seductive green eyes. Her long red hair was slicked back, the color made darker from being wet. She looked as beautiful as ever. "This is dangerous, Jess. We don't have any--"

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Taken care of in another way, Lover. Birth control. I made a special trip to the doctor's just for that a little over a month ago. Absolutely no danger." _I hope,_ she added silently to herself, returning her hands to lavishing attention to his shaft.

He leaned back hard against the cool shower wall, his eyes momentarily closed. "You're sure?" he managed between quickening breaths.

"Totally." she replied, slowly kneeing before him, inter spacing small nips and kisses as she went. "Now, relax." and her mouth closed over his manhood, creating a gentle suction with each movement. 

He gasped loudly in pleasant shock, his eyes shutting tight. She used her experience with him to drive him completely mad with ecstasy, kissing and licking at times, nibbling at others. She raised her eyes to his face and thrilled at the sight of his every excited reactions. He was biting his lower lip, his expression that of someone struggling for control. Jessie stood and kissed his lips. He returned the kiss with deep passion and used the opportunity to switch places with her and pin her back to the wall.

He looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling with a devilish light. "My turn." he breathed against her lips. 

He gently gripped her wrists and pinned them to the wall before beginning. He nibbled his way down her throat, torturingly slow, moving ever lower. She sighed softly, letting her eyes close. His mouth closed over one of her nipples, teasing it into a tight bud. Jessie moaned softly as he moved from one breast to the other, sucking and nipping. Jonny moved lower to the flat of her smooth stomach, drinking in the water that clung to her ivory colored skin. He released her wrists when he got to the delicate triangle of auburn curls between her legs, gently easing her thighs apart with gentle hands. Biting her lower lip with a slight grin, Jessie propped her feet against the edge of the tub to help him reach her better. Then his tongue found her and she was completely lost.

"Oh,... God...!" came her strangled cry. 

Her movements eluded her control and she writhed from his glorious ministrations. Just when she thought she could take no more his lips moved back to her breasts, then up her throat to her lips. 

"Jonny..." she breathed against his lips, her tone pleading.

He kissed her deeply, smiling, as his hands slid down to grip the round mounds of her buttocks, suddenly supporting her weight. Then, with one quick thrust, he was in her completely. The feeling was incredibly intense. Months on end of love making he had always worn protection, but now... Flesh to flesh. Jessie moaned in ecstasy and he dropped his face to the crook of her neck. 

"Haaaaa... Jessie..." he sighed as her hips began to move.

He matched the rhythm she had set with his own rocking, swallowing her cries before they came. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips, her back still to the wall. She couldn't speak anymore, making only little throaty sounds, incoherent cries and moans. He moved faster, racing her to the edge as he felt himself nearing his own peak. Suddenly, he was there, and she was right there with him. She arched away from the wall, her legs tightening around his hips as she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Silken muscles tightened around his shaft rhythmically and his essence spilled into her in response. Then, it was over. 

"Ohhhh... Slammin'..." she sighed with a small grin.

He suddenly looked at her in utter surprise before they both broke out into throes of laughter. "I love you." he breathed against her lips, then he kissed her long and deep.

"I love you." she replied when he released her from his embrace.

Her legs loosened from around him and they just stood there together, struggling for breath. Still holding her he used his foot to put the stopper in the drain, then he turned the shower off to fill the tub. It filled quickly, steam rising to envelop the young lovers. Jonny then shut the water off and looked at Jessie. She smiled softly, understanding. He pulled away, both immediately feeling the immense sense of loss. He sat at one end of the tub, with her in front of him between his legs, her back to his chest.

"IRIS, lights. Candlelight dim." he spoke to the room. Instantly the light dimmed to a soft glow. "How's that?" he questioned his girlfriend softly.

She snuggled back against him comfortably. "Very nice." she replied, softly as well. She took both his hands and pressed them to her heart with a small sigh, inadvertently causing him to wrap his arms around her naked form. "He didn't hurt you too much, did he?" she questioned worriedly.

He freed one of his hands and reached for the soft sponge not far away, using it to gently trickle water on her skin and tenderly sponge her arms and shoulders. "Nah, I'm just a little bruised." He crossed her chest with the sponge and she shivered pleasantly. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just... I had a dream about this once."

He grinned. "When?"

"Back when I was on one of Mom's digs... when we were having problems with our relationship..."

He closed his eyes, remembering the pain of their first major fight where they almost broke up. "I remember that." he murmured.

She turned her cheek to his chest in sympathy, she too feeling the same pain. "It was the night after our fight. I was sleeping and the dream about this just started. Except for the ending, it was identical."

He smirked playfully. "That's another dream that told the future. You becoming psychic or something?"

She chuckled. "Coincidence, that's all." 

Jessie looked a his arm, at the bruise forming on his biceps and the old scars from adventures long since past. She touched them lightly, tears beginning to burn her eyes. How often she had come close to losing him before they had finally begun going out? She had lost track of the times. Each and every time he walked out of danger alive she had wanted to throw herself against him and hold him tight, to tell him how she truly felt about him, and never let go of him ever again. Now, if she lost him, she felt she would willingly die to join him in the hereafter. To never feel his arms hold her tight, to never hear the distinctive beat of his heart, to never hear his soft voice whispering tender words to her. She closed her eyes and the tears began to flow of their own accord.

Jonny watched her, silent. He saw the pained look in her eyes as she touched old an new manifestations of his adventures. He knew what she was thinking and he felt the same. With her hair slicked back as it was he could see her own scars, mementos left behind from incidents that seemed as far away as it was near. Cairo and the accident in downtown Rockport. He still hurt from those moments. She had come so close to dying both times. He couldn't even imaging his life now without her, without touching her soft skin or smelling the sweet scent of strawberries that permeated her skin and hair. He tightened his arms around her, closing his eyes tight, and kissed the top of her head.

Neither of them was willing to break the thick silence. They knew someday they would have to confront all this pain, but it was impossible right now.

"Maybe we should go to bed now." he suddenly voiced softly.

"Do we have to? I'm so comfortable here."

He grinned. "So am I, Jess, but it's your choice if you want to turn into a prune."

She giggled. "You have a point." and, taking only a moment to wrap themselves up in a couple of towels, they went to Jonny's room. It wasn't long after the door closed that they were back in each other's arms, tumbling together to the bed.

* * *

Doctor Benton Quest sat in his seat in the rear of a passenger Hydro-plane, his mind split on two very different problems. One part of his reason was busy coming up with possible viruses and cures for British Columbia's problem. Surd's files were a dangerous source of information in anyone's hands. He was familiar with his work in virology and genetics. According to the reports he now had in his lap, the schools were the source of the epidemic in British Columbia. And thanks to it's inaccessibility due to the mountains, the virus hadn't spread, wouldn't spread if ever it mutated into an airborne organism. That was the good news. The bad news was the mortality rate that had already incurred.

The other part was deeply perplexed by what his Son had partially admitted to him before he left Maine. Jonny had admitted that he and Jessie had slept together.

__

They had sex, Benton, admit it already, a voice scolded.

__

But what will that do? My Son and Jessie kept this a secret for months. Who knows how many times they slept-- had sex? another voice reasoned.

He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Somethin' wrong, Benton?" a Texan voice asked not far at his side. Roger _Race_ Bannon sat on the other side of the plane from him. He had noticed the sigh and the head shake.

"No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking... It's something Jonny told me... No, it's nothing. How long until we reach Simoom Sound?" he opted, changing the subject.

"'Nother half hour or so. It'll be nice to see Marie again."

"Yes. I wonder how she's coping with the new life we handed her a few years back."

"I'm sure she fine. What I'm wonderin' is how the kids are doin' back home."

"Yes." was all the scientist answered.

"Okay, now you're really startin' to worry me. What did Jonny tell you?"

"A secret." he sighed heavily. "Something he and Jessie will discuss in greater detail with the both of us when we get back from all this."

"That bad?"

"I don't know yet."

With this last comment they both lapsed into a deep silence. The half hour passed quickly as the small plane wove between tall mountains, some of which were covered in vast ice fields. Then the Pacific Ocean with British Columbia's numerous inlets came into view. Taking a gentle turn the hydroplane came in for a smooth landing on Tribune Channel, pulling up to a wooden pier on Gilford Island. A number of people were on the pier waiting for them, one of them was Marie Métier. She gave them a grim smile as they disembarked from the plane.

"Doctor Quest, Race, welcome to Simoom Sound. I wish it had been under different circumstances."

"That's quite alright, Marie." Benton admonished with a small smile. "I'm just wondering why we weren't flown to Victoria or Vancouver."

"It's pandemonium in the cities right now. Most of those responsible for examining this virus agreed it was best to move out here, away from the riots and distractions."

"Smart thing." Race voiced from the side of the plane as he and some other men were unloading gear and equipment. "I just heard a dispatch from over the pilot's CB. Sounds like all Hell broke loose down there."

Benton pulled at his own hair gently. "Well, let's get to work then. The sooner we find a cure the sooner we can start looking for Surd."

Race remained behind to supervise the transportation of the equipment as Benton and Marie walked down the length of the pier into downtown Simoom Sound. "You found out who was behind all this?" she asked him.

"Through a simple process of elimination and a little help from IRIS."

"IRIS?"

"Our computer. We analyzed the tape Prime Minister Chrétien received and found it was Doctor Jeremiah Surd's form on the screen and his assistant, Julia, 's voice. Surd's mind is still trapped in a computer program during an incident a year or so ago. Heaven only knows what Julia is after to do all this."

"Is a cure possible?"

"Oh, very. I'm well versed in Surd's work. Reverse researching this virus won't take me very long. Then we have to stop the computer virus infecting the hospital systems before it spreads. That might take us longer."

"Everyone here is at your disposal, Doctor Quest."

* * *

Long, tedious hours had passed. On the color video display of a powerful electron microscope an organism divided and further subdivided, growing at a phenomenal rate. Doctor Benton Quest sat before this screen, watching this progression, with two other medical scientists taking notes.

"This is simply fascinating!" he breathed in awe. "The rate of mitosis of this bio-organism is remarkable. Very frightening. And, as we've seen from the tests we've performed, it needs oxygen to replicate itself, which makes it pretty obvious why it attacks the blood stream. This makes it hard to combat."

One of the scientists, a young man with deep brown hair, nodded in agreement. "How do you suffocate a virus without suffocating the host? It's impossible!"

Benton chuckled slightly. "Nothing is impossible. In the words of Sherlock Holmes, _When one eliminates all the improbabilities of an event or happening, then what is left is the probable and possible._ We simply have to go through the steps and eliminate each improbability. Break it's life cycle somehow."

A woman leaned over Benton's shoulder, pointing to a sub-screen showing the micro-organism's genetic make up, her long blond hair falling against his shoulder in the process. "This strand in its DNA ensures we can't alter it to help us. It almost looks self-regenerating..."

"Which makes it impossible to _reprogram_ it as a hound virus to disable the rest of them because it would just _fix_ itself." another viral-biologist stated, completing her thought. "And the fact that it takes any bodily fluid for a transmission to happen..."

"Releasing it into the schools was, I'd hate to admit it but, brilliant. It ensured transmission from the simple act of sneezing or coughing. Good thing we found which batch of pre-prepared meatloaf it was planted in. And look how it attacks the body. It leaches the O2 out of the blood, reproduces, then causes the body to burn out by creating too many white blood cells. Not to mention that red blood cell production is almost completely halted. That's why we originally thought it was another Hep C blood tainting we had on our hands."

"Megaloblastic hyperplasia." Benton muttered, agreeing with the first diagnostic. Given the same symptoms he would've thought this as well. Megaloblastic hyperplasia was a form of anemia, often confused with asthma for the sharp shortness of breath, often associated with various forms of leukemia.

"We started treating patients as if the had leukemia or any one of the Hep viruses, even began treatments for AIDS." the youngest continued. "But when those infected died after two to five days of infection, we knew we had something completely unknown on our hands. The death toll is already reaching the thousands."

"An insidious bug." the woman concluded.

"From insidious people." Benton added. "And all driven with the simple thought of revenge taken to a level beyond sanity. I'm almost relieved Jessie locked Surd's mind in Questworld."

The three viral-biologists looked at him, confused. "Locked?" the youngest queried.

"I'll explain later. Right now we have to find a way to stop this virus before it gets out of British Columbia."

* * *

"Can she really do this?" Kyle Merrick asked his companion in a hushed voice.

Francesca Hamilton huddled with him in the shadows at the edge of a tall fence. Both of them were completely dressed in white, from head to foot. Her long black hair was tied up in a tight bun under a white snow cap. Hands-free radio emitter/receivers were on their head. "She can do this." she assured.

"Are you sure she can do this?"

"Will you quit it already! If she says she can do this then she can do this."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

On the other side of the fence stood a number of concrete hangers, their windows completely dark. Kyle pulled out a pair of binoculars and peered at one hanger in particular. Pressed flush to the wall, moving with all the skill and stealth possible for a master thief, Katianna Souriskova made her way towards one of the guarded doors. Two men stood guard, burly soldiers with sharp eyes and ears. But still they didn't hear the thief. She now stood right behind them. Through the binoculars Kyle saw her reach into a small pouch at her waist and pull out something for each hand. Katianna then jabbed down hard on each guard's shoulder, near the neck, and they fell silently to the ground. She returned the objects to the pouch, picked the lock to the hanger, and slipped in without being seen.

__

"Okay, I'm in." came her voice over Kyle and Francesca's head gears.

Kyle was just too curious. "What was that stuff you used on them?"

Katianna seemed to chuckle. _"A wonderful little sedative Basil whipped up just for me. He's such a sweet old man. Reminds me of my Father. They'll be out for three hours. Alright, inventory... There's one truck, but it's big enough to carry the rest of the stuff here. Automatic rifles, bazookas, grenade launchers, lots of ammo, ooo, land mines! I feel like a kid in a candy store. Give me twenty minutes to load the truck, then cause a distraction at my signal. I'll pick you up at the main gate."_

"Now do you believe it?" she questioned with a slight grin. He grunted. Francesca looked around the area between herself and the hanger. There were no other guards in sight. "Twenty minutes. Gives us a chance to figure out just where to cause the distraction."

"I'll do that. You just distract the guards at the main gate to get it open."

"That's right, give me the easy job." she smirked.

He grinned, the first grin she had seen him give anyone since his arrival in British Columbia. "Nah, I just figured you'd have an easier time seducing those guards than I would."

She had to chuckle. "I can just imagine you trying to put the moves on those guys. You sure you don't want to try?" she teased.

"Don't even joke about that." A frown was on his face, but humor was in his voice.

She favored him with a sultry smile. "My, you're a touchy one."

"You wish."

"Yes, I do."

He faced her sharply in shock. "You sure don't waste any time."

She leaned in towards him, teasing. "Why waste time when we have so little to begin with?" she questioned coyly.

Her warm, sweet breath caressed his lips as she spoke softly. He found he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. They were such an enticing violet color. Seduction was most definitely her game. A voice from his head set suddenly broke through his thoughts, snapping his attention back to the task at hand.

__

"The truck's loaded. You two better get ready with that distraction." 

Kyle rolled away from Francesca. He hated being caught off guard. "Uhh... right. We're on it." He grabbed the grenade launcher lying in the snow next to him and they both made a dash for the installation's main gate. Two guards stood there. "I believe this is your department, 'Cesca." he told her, indicating the guards.

"Too kind, Kyle." she grinned. 

She tossed him her cap and head set, letting her long hair fall out of its bun, unzipped the front of her outfit to reveal a good amount of cleavage, then stood and began to sashay towards the two guards. The didn't take notice of her until she stood within the light of the guard post. They immediately leveled their automatic rifles at her.

"Halt! State your name and business." one of them challenged.

"Really, gentlemen, do I look like a threat to you?" Francesca cooed.

"What are you doing here?" the other demanded.

She favored them both with her most seductive smile, casually throwing her hair over her shoulder. "My car broke down just up the road and I was wondering if you two strong, handsome men could help me with it?" and she pouted slightly. "Or at least keep me warm while I wait for a tow truck?"

The two guards looked at each other, lost for a moment, then approached her. It was all the opening Kyle needed to slip behind them through the gate and onto the base. They were too busy gawking at Francesca to notice him. He didn't worry about Francesca. She could handle these two. He had a distraction to cause. He rushed to the edge of one of the hangers, set up the grenade launcher, and loaded it. He took aim at another hanger far enough away and fired. A split second later there was a loud explosion and then a second explosion completely engulfed the hanger.

"Kat, there's your distraction!" he called into his microphone. "Let's go!" and he began to run back to the gate.

There came a loud crash behind him. He risked a glance and saw a large transport truck barreling for the main gate as well. As it raced by he grabbed hold of the back end and swung himself into the back of it. They passed the guard post at the gate. Kyle saw the two bodies of the guards sprawled out in the snow and from around a corner ran Francesca. In the distance he could see more guards coming towards them, firing off rounds as they ran.

"Don't stop!" she called out just as Kyle was about to signal Katianna to stop.

He watched her run for what seemed like hours. Something deep inside what was left of his soul told him he couldn't leave her like this. Then, before he knew it, he suddenly braced himself on the back ramp of the truck and reach a hand out to her as far as he could reach. 

"C'mon!" he yelled to her. 

She looked up and her violet eyes locked with his clear grey eyes. The simple act of holding a hand out to her seemed to give her a new strength and a great burst of speed. She got closer to the truck and reached out her hand towards his. He strained his reach, but it still wasn't enough. 

"Jump!" 

She took three strides and leapt into the air towards him. His hand closed around her wrist and he gave a sharp tug, pulling her towards the truck. He must have pulled a little to hard. The next thing he knew he was sprawled on his back with her tiny form on top of his chest. A few well placed shots took out chunks of the back of the truck. Kyle wrapped his arms tightly around Francesca to cover her head and to protect her from the flying debris. Moments later they were finally out of range. He loosened his arms from around her and looked out the back of the truck. The lights from the base were fading in the distance and the shapes that were the guards were no longer visible at all. They had escaped.

"You can get off me now." he told her.

Francesca looked down at him and grinned playfully. "Now why would I want to do a thing like that?"

"'Cause maybe I want to get up?" His tone was sarcastic.

She gave him a small, irresistible pout. "Usually, when a beautiful girl comes on to a handsome guy that guy is more that happy to reciprocate."

"So?"

She brought her face closer to his, dangerously close. His eyes went wide in slight shock. "So, reciprocate." she breathed seductively.

He could only stare back as he felt her lips brush against his. He held her shoulders to restrain her. "'Cesca, I--"

"Shh, Kyle." and she claimed his lips deeply.

He just lay there, too shocked to move or push her away. Not that he wanted to. Her lips felt like silk and she most definitely knew how to make his blood boil. Before Kyle knew it he was returning the embrace.

__

"Merrick, Hamilton, get up here!" came the urgent request in Kyle's ear piece.

Francesca pulled back just enough to allow Kyle to level his microphone to talk into it, but so they could still easily reach each other's lips. "What's up, Kat?" He kept his eyes locked with Francesca's smiling eyes as he spoke.

__

"There's a roadblock up ahead. I think it's one of those Operation: Nez Rouge deals." 

He pushed Francesca back so he could sit up quickly. She saw the look of worry on his face. "Cops?" he asked the driver.

__

"Yeah, lots of them. They might find it a little fishy if they find you guys back there. Get up here, quick." 

"Be right there." He moved the microphone away and looked at Francesca, a small grin tugging the corners of his lips. "This'll have to wait 'til later, 'Cesca."

She smiled, pouting, as she leaned towards him. "Then this will have to tide you over until then." and she kissed him deeply.

His hand found the back of her head and held her close, deepening the embrace to its fullest. Then he pulled back with a reluctant sigh. "Later, my lovely." he breathed loud enough for her to hear.

She grinned seductively in return and they moved to the from of the trunk, managing to swing themselves into the cab of the vehicle. After crossing this upcoming obstacle it was a clear road back to their base of operations.

* * *

Hadji Singh sighed blissfully in the deep silence the permeated the Lighthouse Lab. It was still fairly early in the morning, Friday, and Jessie and Jonny had left some time before for school. Until they returned later that day Hadji decided he would check the computer systems and the progress of their earlier search. He looked to that screen. IRIS had split the screen in two and was matching names and aliases with recent break-outs and plane passenger lists. Still a few days left until that search was done. He turned back to the system before him and quickly entered in a series of commands. Nothing showed up to be out of the ordinary on a surface scan of the programs. Then he dug a little deeper.

****

GLITCH. 

__

Hello? What is this? he wondered with a deep frown. Try as he might, he couldn't pin point the error he came upon. He leaned back. _Wonder, wonder, wonder. What a little mystery._ He wondered for a few minutes, curious, intrigued. How was he going to find out what this problem was?

* * *

Julia dove straight into the equipment Katianna, Kyle, and Francesca had brought. She rummaged through crates and cases, all the while giving little triumphant squeals. "Milani, Bela, Erma, take this equipment and assemble it according to the specs I gave you. I want this up and running ASAP." she ordered. This was when she turned to the newly returned trio. "You did well." and she walked away.

* * *

Hadji was still staring at the screen, puzzled. "IRIS, what is the nature of this system's anomaly?"

__

"UNKNOWN. ANOMALY DOES NOT CONFORM TO ANY KNOWN FILE TYPE." the computer replied.

"IRIS, instead of trying to find an exact match, do any of the anomaly's components match any file type on record?"

__

"AFFIRMATIVE. COMPONENTS MATCHING THOSE CREATED BY DOCTOR JEREMIAH SURD." 

He bristled at this. "Oh dear. IRIS, what are these components and what is the purpose of the anomaly?"

__

"ANOMALY CONTAINS COMPONENTS SIMILAR TO THAT OF SEARCH ENGINES. TARGET OF SEARCH IS QUESTWORLD PROGRAMS AND DATA BANKS. NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO DETERMINE EXACT PURPOSE OF ANOMALY." 

"Extrapolate and theorize."

__

"PURPOSE OF ANOMALY TO SEEK SPECIFIC BRAIN WAVE IN QUESTWORLD DATA BANKS FOR RETRIEVAL AND LATER RESTORATION." 

A light flashed brightly in his mind. _Brain wave? Questworld? SURD!!_ "Has this search engine found and retrieved the brain wave yet?"

__

"UNABLE TO DETERMINE." 

"Oh dear. IRIS, prepare for independent log on. Subject: Hadji Singh."

__

"ILL ADVISED. LOG ON REQUIRES MINIMUM TWO INDIVIDUALS." 

"Override. No time. Prepare for log on."

__

"ACKNOWLEDGED." 

* * *

"The equipment's ready, Julia." Ethyl Erma announced. "The hound program we sent is already in your target system. We just have to follow it in. Question is who are you sending in? We have to stay out here to monitor and counter act anything we might not have foreseen."

"Wait a minute!" Kyle Merrick interjected. "What system?"

Julia frowned in clear disgusts at the name she was about to say. "Questworld."

"Questworld? As in the Quests?" Julia nodded. "Oh, I'm in there! Log me in."

"Not without me you're not." Francesca shot at Kyle with a knowing grin.

Julia barely even glanced at them. "Do it. Now!"

* * *

The digital representation of Hadji Singh stood on a neon red information grid. This was the fourth Questworld program he had accessed and still no sign of the anomaly. "IRIS, initiate Questworld program QE-1."

__

"INITIATING" 

QE-1 was an old program Doctor Quest had created, Hadji knew that much. What he couldn't quite remember was the purpose of this particular program. There were so many. The scenery around him suddenly shifted to total darkness with only the dimmest glimmer of light to see by. There were no features to this place, nothing to look at. Hadji was about to go to another program when a thought he saw a form in the distance. He moved closer, curious.

__

"Ah, Mister Singh! Come to pay me a visit after so many years?" came a sarcastic computer generated voice from the form.

Hadji froze. "Doctor Surd?"

__

"So happy you didn't forget me. What brings you to my dreary little Hell?" 

"Nothing. Just making sure you are still where Jessie left you."

__

"Yes, lovely Miss Bannon. How is she and young Mister Quest? I do so miss the battles we've had in the past. She was very good, you know, locking me in this state even in Questworld. A true master." 

"I do not have time for this, Surd."

"Oh, but you should make time." came a new voice from behind him.

Hadji spun around just in time to receive a fist to his jaw. He staggered back, sprawling to the floor. He rubbed his jaw when he recovered, getting back to his feet, only to find himself facing the two people he never thought he would ever see in Questworld. Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton. He took a step back, suddenly afraid for his life.

"Thank you for finding him for us, Hadji." Francesca cooed. "Made our job so much easier."

Kyle began to advance on Hadji as Francesca turned her attention to the immobile Surd. This one's eyes flashed to her and Kyle in rapid succession, a slight frown on his face. _"Who are you?" _he demanded.

She smiled sweetly. "Your saviors. Julia sent us." She cocked her head towards the virtual sky. "Milani, I have him. Begin download." Surd's body began to shimmer, then gradually faded from sight. Francesca then turned in time to see Kyle giving a severe beating to a visibly outmatched Hadji.

Kyle was clearly enjoying his superiority. He had long ago survived the training offered at a secret complex in Brazil after he and his Sister had been kidnapped. And he had excelled in this training. He now knew twenty different ways of killing a man without leaving a trace. Then he had survived several years at Riker's Maximum State Prison in New York. Fighting knowledge wise, Hadji was in serious trouble.

"Kyle!" she called, catching his attention before he could throw another punch. "We have what we came for. Let's go."

He looked at her, then down at Hadji's huddled form trying to recover from the virtual beating. Kyle grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up to glare in his face. "A message for your friends, _Sultan_." he sneered. "Fight or _everyone_ they've _ever _known dies." He threw him back on the ground and came to stand next to Francesca. "Julia, log us out of Questworld. We're done here." he grinned.

Hadji could only watch helplessly as the duo shimmered out of existence. He staggered to his feet, the pain almost too much to bare. "IRIS, activate all firewalls and intruder protectors to Questworld and subsystems. Restrict access to data base and programs to myself, Jonny Quest, and Jessie Bannon. Retina scan only." Mentally he kicked himself for not having done this before. 

__

"RESTRICTIONS ACTIVE." 

"Log me out of Questworld."

__

"HADJI SINGH LOGGING OUT IN THREE... TWO... ONE." 

There was a blinding flash and Hadji suddenly found himself sitting in one of the control chairs. He ached from the virtual beating he had received. Even though Questworld was a world existing in Virtual Reality one could still feel and respond to sensations one got in that world. If one fell, one would develop the bruise as a result of that fall. Therefore, all of the injuries Hadji had received in Questworld were real in every sense of the word. He reached up a bruised limb and took off the visor from his eyes. Shutting down the Lab he managed to stagger out into the cold afternoon air. It felt good on his injuries, soothing. Entering the house he avoided Mrs. Evans and headed straight for his bedroom, collapsing on his bed. He was about to enter a deep state of meditation when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered tiredly.

__

"Guess who?" came a woman's voice from the other end.

He smiled. "Kefira!" Kefira Subramanian was Hadji's fiancé, an incredible woman in both looks and intelligence. He had met her almost a year back and had fallen in love with her strength of will. "How are you?"

__

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I'm fine, just missing you terribly. And you, how are you? You sound so tired." 

"And feeling better with each passing moment we speak. It is nothing, a little encounter in Questworld I was unprepared for."

Her voice took on an edge of worry. _"Are you alright?"_

"A little bruised, but I am fine."

__

"You are sure?" 

He chuckled softly. "Yes, my beloved. So, what have you been doing during my absence? It must be so late into the night for you right now."

__

"It is, but I had a longing to hear your voice. Your Mother has been teaching me to be, and I quote, "The proper wife for a Sultan". She has been busy teaching me etiquette and the ways of the Royal Court. I had no idea there was so much to learn. How and where to stand, the different bows for each diplomat. I have hardly had time to continue my own studies." 

"Having second thoughts about becoming my wife?" he teased.

She laughed, a delicate sound that warmed his soul. _"No, I want to be your wife, Beloved. I just never realized it would be so much work."_

"Mother makes it so for you to test you. You will be happy to know you are passing this test. She has now begun speaking of an heir."

__

"Will you tell her of our wish to take this slow?" 

"I will, not to worry."

__

"One last question for you before I let get some rest. Neela has spoken to me of the Children of the Dragon only once and with very scant details. Who are they?" 

"A clan I concluded a peace treaty with some two years ago. They are a strange people who live in the surrounding mountains of Bangalore. When I return I promise to introduce you to them. It is only fair they meet their future Queen, no?"

__

"Then I await your return anxiously, as always. I really hate to have to say goodbye right now." 

"We both know we need to rest now. I to recover and you to prepare for Mother's next test. We will speak again soon."

__

"Until then, goodbye, My Beloved Sultan." 

He smiled almost sadly. "Goodbye and goodnight, sweet Kefira." After a few seconds there was a clicking sound at the other end as the connection was broken. Hadji sighed heavily, hung up his phone, and drifted off into a deep meditative state.

* * *

Doctor Jeremiah Surd opened his eyes, blinking from suddenly real pain from real light. He still couldn't move. Slowly he took in his surroundings. 

__

Reality! 

"The transfer was successful." came a woman's voice from off to his left.

"His wheelchair's life support system is fully functional." came another voice, a young man's.

Surd followed the sounds all around him to their sources. Machines, people. Lots of people. _"Julia?"_

She came into sight. "Welcome back, Jeremiah." she cooed.

__

"What's going on?" 

She smiled. "A little scheme in your honor, Jeremiah. Thanks to your files and research we now hold all of Canada hostage."

His eyes widened slightly. _"Well done, Julia."_ His tone of voice was pleased. Surd looked at the grouping of people gathered around him, specifically to the two teens extracting themselves from the virtual reality equipment. _"Who are these two who retrieved my mind from the Quest's data base?"_

"Mercenaries, now under your orders, Jeremiah. Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton. Both have already gone up against the Quests. They have experience with them we lack. All of these people have had run ins with the Quests. Their experiences are invaluable to us."

__

"You've been busy during my absence. Well done. Now, explain your plan. I'm anxious to hear what kind of mayhem you've caused here." 

* * *

"... and we have a security perimeter set up by the RCMP at a one kilometer radius, Mister Bannon." a uniformed RCMP Sargent informed.

Race Bannon looked over the information on a clip board. He had to admit, the Canadian Military and Royal Canadian Mounted Police knew what they were doing when it came to providing security. Check points, a secure perimeter, patrolling soldiers in camouflaged gear. Everything was up to his standards of security for this type of situation. He handed the clip board back to the Sargent with a crisp nod.

"Good. Keep me posted on anythin' new."

"Yes, Sir." and he walked away.

Race stood alone now, just at the beginning to the wooden pier. Except for the mild weather his senses were almost fooled into thinking this was Maine. But he knew if he turned around he would see the high, imposing peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Behind him was also one of the secluded laboratories where Canada's finest biologists, computer programmers, and Doctor Benton Quest were busy at work. And Marie.

"Enjoying the view, Race?" came Marie Métier's voice, breaking through his thoughts.

He turned to see her approaching him from the main lab building. He smiled and made a non-committal sound at the back of his throat in response to her question.

"Where they at?" he asked, indicating the lab with a jerk of his chin.

"Doctor Quest feels they're on the right road. He just finished putting in a requisition for medical chimpanzees for some tests. Keep your fingers crossed."

"I'm bein' morbidly optimistic here, but I'm kind of glad Julia didn't launch this bug on the West Coast. Would've infected Jessie an' Jonny. Don't know what any of us would've done had that happened."

A puzzled frown crossed her features as she brushed her wind blown black hair away from her face. "Who is Jessie?"

"Jessie's my Daughter."

"You never told me you had a Daughter?"

"We, uh, didn't actually do much talkin' back then." Race grinned sheepishly. He then pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out a photograph, and handed it to Marie. "There she is, my Ponchita."

Marie took the image and took a good long look. Jessie was at the center of the image, sitting across Jonny's lap. Both were smiling and seemed completely at ease with each other, their arms wrapped around each other. 

"She's lovely. When was this picture taken?"

"'Bout a week ago."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Jonny has grown into a fine looking young man. Your Daughter seems to be quite close to him."

"They should be. They've been goin' steady for a little over two years now."

She looked up from the image, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. You should see 'em. Can't pull 'em apart for more than a second." He sighed wistfully. "Kind of makes me worried I'll someday hear they took _the next step_."

Marie smiled reassuringly. "I know Jonny's a bright boy. And Jessie is _your_ Daughter after all. I'm sure they won't do anything stupid. Will I get to meet her someday?"

"Oh, sure. Soon as they finish their exams, they're flying down with Hadji to join us. You know Jonny, can't stay away from the action for very long. They should be here in a little over a week."

* * *

Jessie stood in her gym uniform of red shorts and a white T-shirt, shifting from one foot to the other in readiness. In front of her stood Jonny, dressed the same way and wearing thick sparring mats on his arms. It had been his idea to get her in the gym to do this. She was still weak from her seven month coma and she needed to strengthen her muscles and limbs, learn how to fight all over again. He wanted her to be as strong as she had ever been to make her happy. He had seen how miserable she was when left behind during dangerous missions, and how annoyed she was when someone tried to fight for her.

"Okay, you ready, Jess?"

"Only if you are, Lover." She grinned playfully. "I'm going to mop the floor with you."

He smiled. "We'll see, Love. Just regular kick-boxing, don't strain yourself. And... go!" 

She threw kick after kick, punch after punch, the gym filling with the sound of each move connecting with a sharp slap. He encouraged her on, pleased at her quick progress. This went on for nearly half an hour. She suddenly threw a high kick, followed by an attempt at a round-house kick. She cried out in pain and dropped unceremoniously to the ground, holding her hip. Jonny quickly threw the pads to the ground and came to her side, his hands on hers in worry.

"Oh, God!" she groaned in pain.

"Take it easy, lie still." he told her. He rolled her to her back and carefully eased her legs straight, keeping one hand at the joint of her hip. Her eyes were shut tight, pained tears already streaming from their corners freely. "You strained a muscle."

"Tell me something new." she gritted.

Carefully he eased her knee towards her chest, then straightened her leg in the air. She winced and he lowered her leg back to the ground. He did this to her several more times before she finally sat up. 

"You okay?" his voice still laced with worry as he held her knee.

"Now, yes. God, that hurt." She brought her knee to her chest, testing her hip joint, then smiled at him. "Thanks."

He grinned playfully as he slid his hand from her knee down to the inside of her thigh. "Got to keep these gorgeous legs strong and in shape."

She returned the grin as she turned to completely face him. "Any particular reason why?" she cooed.

He leaned in towards her until their lips just brushed. "You got two pretty good reasons last night." and he claimed her lips before helping her back to her feet.

"Any other reason?" she asked coyly. As strange look passed over his face as he looked at her. She couldn't read his expression and it shocked her. "What?"

"Nothing." he dismissed quickly.

"No, really. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it in second thought. He gently touched her cheek, cupping her face with one hand. Then, "Ask me that again sometime, Jess."

Inside she frowned, puzzled. "Okay." was all she answered.

"You have a class next?"

"Yeah, Chemistry. Just review, but I want to be there in case there's anything different he might stick on the exam. It's my last class of the day."

"Same with me for Physics. Mr. Niles has a nasty habit of doing that, sticking stuff he didn't teach us on the exam, or so I hear. Your leg going to be okay for the rest of the day?"

"I think so. If it gets painful I can always grab some Tylenol."

Worry etched his features. "You're sure?"

She smiled and tasted his lips ever so softly. "I'm sure. Eighty minutes and I'll be able to show you just how sure." she breathed.

"Too long." he grinned.

"But at least then we'll be away from prying eyes." she replied playfully.

He chuckled. "And now that you've told me this I won't be able to concentrate on Physics."

She had to laugh. "No, you'll probably be too busy dreaming up a few Laws of Physics of your own and then breaking the rest."

He laughed softly. "Definitely. And we'll try them out later. Go on. We each have a class to go to. See you at your locker later?"

"You bet." 

She kissed him again before leaving for the girls' locker room. She quickly showered, dressed in her blue jeans, off white button up shirt, and a white sweater, and jogged off to her class. Her Chemistry lab partner, Crysta Robertson, was already sitting in the class as Jessie walked in. No one else was in the class yet. Crysta was in flashy wear, as usual. A metallic purple cat suit with bright yellow scarves, one in her hair, the other around her waist.

"Hey, Chica!" Crysta greeted in a light Hispanic accent. "You just come from the pool or something?"

Jessie sat next to her friend, slicking her wet hair out of her face. "No, the gym. I had a pretty intensive work-out."

Crysta smirked slyly, beginning to French braid Jessie's hair. "Oh, really? Was a certain Jonny Quest involved in this _work-out_?"

"Go away! We wouldn't do anything like in school."

"Had to ask. How're you feeling anyway?"

"Not bad considering everything I went through... and I think things are about to get worse."

Crysta heard the hate in her friend's voice and looked towards the door. A tall, brunette girl walked in, an air of superiority and aristocracy surrounding her. This was Ktrisha Aubry, one of Maya Vernessa many followers and so-called friends, a runner up to Home Coming Queen of Rockport High School for four years running. She shot a cold stare at Jessie in particular before sitting at a desk across the room from her. Her slinky shirt showed off every curve and her miniskirt was purposefully cut to show off as much leg as possible. Ktrisha, like Maya before her, hated Jessie with a passion for the simple fact that Jessie was going steady with Jonny. The, also, Miss Universe wannabe had chased after him ever since their first year of High School, but he had rejected her advances each and every time, eventually working up his courage to ask Jessie to go out with him. Like Maya, Ktrisha held Jessie responsible. No man ever said no to Ktrisha or Maya, until Jonny.

"'Tis a foul air and a ever more foul mood that hath entered this room." Crysta quipped, hoping for levity in this situation.

"You stay out of this, freak!" Ktrish snapped at Crysta.

"Watch it, boob job!" she shot back.

Jessie gripped her friend's arm to restrain her. "Crysta, cool it! She's not worth it."

"Jonny doesn't think so." Ktrisha sneered.

"Right, like he ever gave you a second glance."

"That's not what he told me last night."

Jessie laughed outright. Crysta caught on to why as Ktrisha just scowled at them. "That would've been kind of hard considering..." Jessie managed before breaking out into throes of uncontrolled laughter.

"Considering what?" Aubry demanded.

Jessie regained enough composure to stand and walk to the front of Ktrisha's desk, leaning towards her menacingly. "Considering he was in his bed all of last night. And how can I be sure of that? Because I was there and completely tired him out." 

Crysta had the hardest time reigning in her laughter at the totally shocked look Ktrisha had etched across her face as Jessie walked back to her seat. The shock gave way to a scowl of pure hate just as the fiery redhead sat.

"Hey, Jess." came a familiar voice at the door. 

All three turned to see Jonny rushing into the room towards her. Ktrisha, in the hopes of catching his attention, immediately stood to make herself more visible and tried to stand in front of Jessie. He went around her without so much as a glance. He greeted Jessie by tenderly claiming her lips. 

"I only have a few minutes. Two things. One, Elaine had gym next and found your watch in the locker room." and he handed it to her.

"Oh, God! I didn't even notice!"

He grinned. "You had other things on your mind."

She giggled. "That I did. What was the other thing you came here for?"

"I forgot to tell you something when you left the gym."

She was intrigued. "Really? What?"

He leaned in towards her, pinning her to her chair, and gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "I love you."

She smiled ever so sweetly. "I love you." she replied. "I also have something to tell you."

"What's that?" he grinned.

"Last night..."

He was still grinning. "What about it?"

"Incredible." she breathed.

Jonny gave a slight pout. "Isn't every night?"

"Yes, but especially last night."

"Wait until tonight." he breathed against her lips, kissed her sweetly, and left at a run to reach his class before the bell rang.

The class went by slowly as Chemistry notes and formulas were reviewed one last time. Jessie didn't have to pay too much attention to what was being said. Basically there wasn't going to be any new material on the mid-term exam. She would ace this test like she did with all her others throughout the first half of the year. 

Across the class from her Ktrisha kept shooting daggers from her eyes at Jessie. She was an obstacle to her, a wall to destroy to get to the prize, Jonny Quest. But she wouldn't make the same mistake as Maya had when she had tried to eliminate Jessie this time last year. She had made the mistake of hiring an incompetent. Ktrisha she would do one this herself, somehow.

A loud peel of a bell signaled the end of the class and Jessie quickly exited the class to get to her locker. Crysta was close behind, her locker being next to Jessie's. Turning a corner they saw someone leaning against it, seemingly waiting for them. He was wearing a sports jacket emblazoned with the school colors and logo. Jessie immediately recognized him and stopped with an annoyed groan. Craig Waller, a rich young man belonging to the school's football team who just couldn't seem to understand that she was unavailable to him.

"What's today, _pick on Jessie_ day?" she sighed.

Crysta snickered. "I'll take him off your hands, Chica."

"Oh, I'm sure Todd would like that. No, I'll deal with him... _again._" She took a deep, bracing breath and walked forward towards her locker. Craig straightened and smiled at her. "Wipe it off your face, Craig, it ain't gonna to happened."

The smile faded. He looked at her in pleading dejection. "Aw, c'mon, Jessica. I mean, what does he have that I don't?"

She never faced him, her expression blank as she filled her book bag. "Well, for one, he had the decency not to over presume his worth to the world." Crysta snorted as she tried not to laugh. "And, unlike you, he gave me time."

"I gave you a lot more than just time, Ace." came a playful voice from behind her. 

Jessie turned with a smile, instinctively finding her lover's arms and pressing herself to his chest. Jonny held her tight, breathing a soft sigh against her neck. 

"Told you eighty minutes was too long."

She chuckled and pulled back to look into his face. "So how many Laws did you dream up?"

"Too many for one night." he grinned.

Crysta began to laugh, mostly from Craig's stunned expression. "Face it, _Super Jock_. Ain't no way you're ever breaking these two up."

Jonny bowed to her with a flourish. "Thank you, dear Lady."

"Most welcome, Lord _Jean_."

He straightened with a smile. "Still can't get over that, can you?"

"Don't think anyone completely recovers from seeing ghosts, Blondie. 'Specially when you're facing their living doubles."

"In every sense of the word." Jessie grinned.

Jonny looked at her. "What? You planning to drown me in a pond?"

She smirked. "Only if I can have you stuffed and mounted on my bed after." she quipped.

He chuckled. "Ah! So _that_'s why you keep me around."

"That, and another reason."

"Which I'm sure you'll tell me."

"Of course, but I'll do much more than _tell_ you." she replied, gathering the rest of her stuff from her locker, then closing it. She turned to him with a broad grin. "Ready."

"Hey, can I get a lift?" Crysta suddenly asked. "Don't really feel like trudging the six blocks to my place in the snow."

Jonny slung an arm around both Jessie's and Crysta's shoulders. "Sure." he grinned. "See ya, Craig." he said to the still stunned Craig Waller as the three of them walked away. They left him standing there as they walked out of the school towards the student parking lot. They piled into a black Viper GTX, Jonny driving and Crysta in the back seat, and drove off for the outskirts of Rockport, Maine.They dropped Crysta off at an elegant little house of a Colonial feel, then began to drive off to the Quest Compound. Jonny suddenly grinned. "Let me guess, earlier, Craig wanted you to break off with me and go with him, right?"

She chuckled. "Right. I told him, not in so many words mind you, that there was no way that was going to happen. And that's when you walked in."

"So that makes how many times he's asked you that?"

"Today? Twelve times."

"Today!? There's been other times?"

"He asked about as many times everyday since school started again, last year, the year before that, and the year before that."

"God! He just doesn't give up."

"He's like a persistent little puppy hungry for attention."

"Oh, he's hungry alright, but it's not for attention."

She leaned on his shoulder, her hand gently gripping his thigh. "There's only one person who has _that_ kind of attention." she purred lovingly in his ear.

His knuckles began to whiten as he tightened his grip on the wheel. "Quick, find me someplace to park." he gasped with a sly grin.

Jessie giggled, snuggling closer to his side. "Not until we get home, Lover. I still have to show you those little _treasures_ I found at the store yesterday."

He chuckled as he stopped the car at a red light. "I can't wait to see you wear those_."_

"Who says I'm not already?" she cooed seductively.

He faced her sharply, in surprise. Then his eyes drank her in, his lopsided grin appearing on his lips. He cupped her face ever so tenderly, gliding his thumb over her lips before claiming them deeply. She held him close, returning the embrace to its fullest, both losing themselves in the feeling. A sudden, loud car horn blast from behind surprised them apart. The light was green again. The young couple laughed and Jonny began driving again.

He suddenly grinned from a thought. "Like Crysta loves to say about us, _We've got it really bad_."

Jessie laughed. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Oh, of course not!" he agreed. 

He pulled off the main road out of Rockport onto the Quest Compound's long private driveway. They pulled up to the house, disembarked, and quickly ran to the warmth of the house. They were met in the hallway by an anxious looking Mrs. Evans.

Jonny looked slightly puzzled. "What is it, Mrs. Evans?"

"Hadji's been in his room since this morning. He came in from the lab looking very tired, like someone beat him up."

Jessie and Jonny looked at each other, confused, then headed for Hadji's room upstairs. "Jonny, the only way Hadji could be as Mrs. Evans described was if he logged into Questworld and had a bad encounter."

"But he would never do an independent log on. That's our cardinal rule." They got to the door and peered in. Hadji was stretched out on his bed, his arm hiding his face. "Hadj?"

"He is free." was all the young Sultan replied.

"Who? Who's free?" Jessie questioned, coming to sit next to him.

"Surd."

Jonny bristled. "What? How?"

"Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton." he breathed tiredly. His arm fell away to revealing bruises swelling around his eyes and other welts on his face.

Jessie gasped. "Oh, Hadji!"

Hadji sat up with a tight smile, waving off her concern. "It is not as bad as it looks."

"Jess, go get him a wet towel and some Tylenol, okay?" and Jessie quickly left. Jonny sat next to Hadji and looked over his injuries. "Never thought _you_ would be the one to break our Questworld rule. Merrick did this to you, didn't he?"

"Yes_, _and he issued you a challenge."

He sighed heavily. "Kind of glad I sent Jess out then. What does he want?"

"For you to log into Questworld and fight him or he will kill all of us."

"Doesn't leave me much of a choice, does it? I have to do it."

"But he has Doctor Surd helping him now. He will not fight fair."

"When has he ever, Hadj? Tell me that. If I don't do this then he'll go after you, Dad, Race and... Jessie. I won't risk any of your lives, and I certainly won't risk Jessie's, just to call his bluff. When she comes back in, tell her _nothing_."

They immediate fell silent when they heard Jessie returning. She stopped suddenly at the door, shocked by the silence. "Geez, you'd think I walked into a secret planning session." she quipped, going to the other side of the bed. Carefully she dabbed at Hadji's injuries with the wet cloth. "They really did a number on you."

"Well, you get to take care of him, _Florence of Nightingale_. I'm going to go check the system for any surprises they might have left." and, after casting a knowing glance at Hadji, Jonny left for the Lighthouse computer lab. 

Once there he locked the door. He turned to one of the consoles and began typing in commands. All of them were blocked by IRIS.

__

"ACCESS DENIED. RETINA SCAN NEEDED FOR PROPER SECURITY CLEARANCE." 

With a slightly frustrated sigh Jonny put on one of the Questworld visors, activating it was a quick key stroke. "IRIS. Ret me." he told the powerful computer. There was a red flash before his eyes at his command.

__

"IDENTITY CONFIRMED AS JONATHAN BENTON QUEST. ACCESS TO QUESTWORLD SYSTEMS GRANTED. COMMAND?" 

"Prepare for independent Questworld log on."

__

"ILL ADVISED. LOG ON REQUIRES MINIMUM TWO INDIVIDUALS." 

"Override. Activate Questworld voice commands, recognize voice print." 

__

"VOICE COMMANDS ACTIVE. JONATHAN BENTON QUEST VOICE PRINT ACTIVE." 

He sat in one of the command chairs, mentally prepared for the virtual battle. "Questworld: Log on. Subject: Jonny Quest. Going hot!"

__

"LOG ON IN THREE... TWO... ONE..." 

"You're mine, Merrick." he ground quietly just as the program started up.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! The computer captain would like to announce that we have a log on!" Ted Milani suddenly yelled out to the room.

Julia came up behind his shoulder, peering intently at the gibberish on the screen. "Where?" she demanded.

"Maine... That Quest Compound you keep talking about... One subject... The Quest kid!"

"What is he doing?"

"Answering my challenge." Kyle Merrick answered coolly as he hooked himself up to the virtual reality equipment. "Log me in. I have business to take care of."

__

"Make this fast, Merrick." Surd interjected. _"We have more pressing matters that require our attention."_

Kyle smiled confidently. "He doesn't stand a chance against me."

__

"Yes, I thought that too, about him and the others. But look what happened to me when I became over confident of my abilities." and he wheeled away towards another console across the room.

Kyle watched him move away for a moment, an instant of self doubt flaring up in his heart. Then he looked at Francesca who was busy preparing to log in with him. When she smiled at him all doubt he ever had fell away. As dark a life she led, as twisted as her soul was, she trusted him to succeed.

"What, you're coming in to watch?" he asked with a slight grin.

"That, and watch your back for any surprises he might have."

"How very kind of you."

She smiled seductively at him. "I'm just making sure you're around to uphold that promise you made to me in the back of the truck."

He chuckled. "We'll make it a victory celebration." He put on the virtual reality interface visor and sat in a make-shift control chair. Francesca did the same. "Log us in, Milani. Time to put _Lizard Boy_ in his place."

Milani gave a sadistic grin. "I can hack past the defenses that are up and get you in and I'm putting this on the big screen to watch. Logging you in. Live long and thump butt, kiddies!"

The virtual reality interface visors came to life and bright lights flashed before their eyes as they were logged into Questworld. A fluorescent green grid appeared on a background of black. They were standing on the edge of it. In the center of the grid stood to virtual reality representation of Jonny Quest dressed in typical VR body armor. Jonny frowned at the newcomers.

"I thought this was a one-on-one?" he questioned harshly, indicating Francesca with just a jerk of his chin.

"It is." Kyle turned Francesca's face towards himself, caressing her jaw line, never taking his eyes off Jonny. "'Cesca just tagged along for the show." He turned to smile at Francesca. "This won't take long." Kyle stepped away from Francesca and moved towards Jonny. "You know, Quest, after this I just might go find Jessie. She and I have some unfinished business to take care of." he taunted.

"Who says you'll be the one to walk out of this? You're all talk--"

Kyle never let him finish his thought, charging at his adversary with the semblance of a war cry. Jonny braced himself as if intending to absorb the lunge, then side stepped at the last possible moment, driving a fist hard into Kyle's ribs. Kyle dropped like a stone, cradling his ribs in pain. In the distance he heard Francesca gasp in worry. He faced his adversary with pure hatred in his grey eyes, rolling onto his knees to leap to his feet. That was a lucky shot he never allow again. Again he lunged, this time not falling for the feint. They collided and grappled with each other, each trying to land that one blow that would given them the upper hand. Every move they had ever learned, every technique they had ever acquired was being put to the ultimate test, from simple one two punch combinations to full force roundhouse kicks.

Francesca stood by and watched in glee. As she watched she suddenly felt torn. Before her, one fighting for the sake of his family and friends, the other fighting for revenge, were the two men she felt the most for aside from her Father, David Hamilton. The day she had met Jonny was the day she had fallen in love with him, _hard_. He was exciting. The fire in his soul when provoked was awe inspiring. Then there was Kyle. Strong, dark, chilling to the point of thrilling. She wanted this man, but she still wanted Jonny. The auras surrounding these two men were worlds apart, but both drew her towards them like a hapless moth to a seductive flame. A life with either one would make her happy.

Through the fight a part of Jonny's mind thought back to Jessie. This fight wasn't going well and he knew it would escalate past the hand-to-hand combat. As Kyle landed a lucky blow Jonny thought how it was a good thing Jessie didn't know about this fight and how she wasn't here to witness this.

* * *

Jessie carefully dabbed at the swelling around Hadji's eye, trying to help bring the swelling down, when he finally, gently, waved her hand away.

"I am fine, Jessie. This will heal even when left alone." he told her.

She sighed. "Sorry. You sure you'll be okay?"

A slight grin turned up the corners of his lips. "Yes, thank you."

She hunched her shoulders. "Can't help but worry. My flaw."

"Your virtue. Most people ignore the worry, but you let it give you the insight into any situation."

"Like the insight to wonder why Jonny still hasn't come back yet?" She looked to the bedroom door with a slight look of worry. "Doesn't take this long to do a systems check." When Hadji didn't answer her she turned to face him sharply. He refused to meet her gaze. Having lived under the same roof as him and the other household members, Jessie had learned to _read_ their personalities and mannerisms. This one told her he was hiding something from her. "You know something, don't you?" Again he didn't answer, hunching his shoulders. "Hadji, what's going on?" she demanded.

"I... I am not supposed to let you know." Hadji faltered. He suddenly sighed heavily, as if coming to an important decision. "But you have a right to know."

"Let me know what?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "Jonny did not go perform a systems check. He went to log himself into Questworld."

"What!? Alone? What the Hell is he thinking?"

"I believe he is not thinking, with his brain anyway. He is thinking with his heart. When I was in Questworld being attacked by Kyle this one issued a challenge to Jonny through me. Fight him or everyone around him dies. He has gone in to respond to that challenge to protect the rest of us."

Total shock crossed her features. "Why didn't he want me to know?"

"I believe it is because he knew you would follow him into Questworld. He does not want to see you get hurt again when he knows he can prevent it this time. Logging into the system with him is a guarantee you will be hurt."

"Damn him!" she breathed harshly. "D'you think you can run?" she directed at Hadji.

He blinked. "Yes, I think so."

"Good. We're going to the Lab, you're logging me in, and you do whatever it takes to keep us both alive in there. Got that?"

He could only nod. It was always a wise thing to stay out of Jessie's way when she was determined about something.

* * *

Using all the training Jonny had gleaned from Race Bannon over the years, he expertly ducked a roundhouse kick, then turned the duck into a sweeping kick to knock Kyle off his feet. Kyle dropped with a satisfying thump, giving Jonny enough time to back away and catch his breath. Compared to his opponent Jonny had landed more blows, but Kyle had the quick and powerful bursts of anger and hatred fueling his stamina where as Jonny only had the love for his family and friends. And Jessie. For her sake he couldn't lose. Just as he was preparing for another round of this virtual battle the grid like scenery around them flashed.

__

"PREPARING FOR USER LOG ON." came IRIS's voice from out of nowhere.

* * *

Hadji was busy typing away computer commands as Jessie took the control chair next to Jonny. 

"While you are in there I will try to regain independent control of the system. Do not take any unnecessary chances. I will help you both the best I can from here." Hadji told her.

Jessie nodded, placing the VR interface visor over her eyes. "Just try to match whatever they throw at us. Questworld: Log on. Subject: Jessie Bannon. Going hot!"

__

"LOG ON IN THREE... TWO... ONE..." 

* * *

"On you toes, people!" Ted Milani called out to the room. 

Julia rushed to his side. "What is it?"

"We've got another... No! Two new users logging in... Still in Maine... Bannon's Daughter and the boy Sultan. Looks like she's going in and he's... How rude!"

"What?" Julia demanded at this outburst.

"He's trying to take control of the system away from me. Well, we can't have that. Alright, Mister Sultan. You want a little game of two on two chess? Fine. Let's play." He flicked an on-console switch. "Merrick, Hamilton! Heads up! He has the Turbaned Majesty playing god for his team and the Bannon girl's joining Quest in the system."

* * *

Jonny bristled. "Jessie?"

"Can we possibly talk about this later?" came her voice from behind him.

Before he could turn around a sudden blur of red flashed by him. With a practiced war cry Jessie charged straight at Francesca, easily catching her off guard. Jessie grabbed her shoulders and threw her Judo style. Francesca landed with a very satisfying thump. Jonny had to chuckle. This fight was a long time in coming between the two of them, but this was still dangerous. The last thing he wanted was for Jessie to be hurt. He turned just in time to see Kyle charging at him. He absorbed the lunge, rolling to his back, and throwing him over him. Kyle skidded across the _floor _before rolling to his knees.

"Milani!" Merrick called to the _sky_. "Do something, will you?"

* * *

Milani's fingers flew over the computer console as he entered code after code in rapid succession. "One upgrade coming your way, cyber-warrior. Knight to king four."

* * *

Hadji saw the coding a few seconds before they came into effect. It was all he needed to react. He, too, entered computer codes at a phenomenal rate. He only hoped it was enough.

* * *

Just as the blaster canon materialized over Kyle's shoulder an energy shield coalesced on Jonny's arm, blocking the impending, deadly shot. The force of the blast sent his reeling back slightly, just enough for him to have to put his hand down for balance. Again he risked a glance across the virtual-scape to where Jessie and Francesca were fighting with quarter staffs. Every saying ever stated about a redhead's temperament were being made manifest right then and there. Jessie was putting the serious hurt on Francesca. No words were exchanged between them. This was a straight fight and Jessie was winning. Every spin and strike Jessie made was a work of art.

Jonny turned his attention back to Kyle who was shooting at him continuously. "Hadji! Almost have them locked out of the system?" he called to the _sky_ just as an energy crossbow appeared on his wrist. He took aim at Kyle from around the edge of his shield and fired, hitting the blaster canon, but not damaging it.

* * *

"Almost, my Brother. These are some very complex commands being inputted by whoever they have on the other side. Just a moment, I think I may have it... Oh dear!"

* * *

Ted Milani chuckled gleefully at the coding scrolling on the screen before him. "Chew on that, Minor Majesty. Checkmate!"

* * *

Jessie swung the quarter staff hard and caught Francesca on the shoulder, knocking her to the ground, her quarter staff rolling away from her reach. Not taking a moment to tend to her shoulder Francesca rolled to a crouch in time to stop the next blow from Jessie. And there were many that followed.

Hadji's _oh dear_ was what broke her momentum.

"Hadji, what's going on?"

* * *

Hadji typed furiously at the keyboard, struggling to stay one step ahead of the program that was now running. He was losing against the computer... and badly.

"Uhhh... you _really_ do not want to hear this."

* * *

The Virtual Reality scenery suddenly changed from its red grid on black to a black grid on violently swirling green. The combatants stopped, awed and afraid of this sight. Jessie backed away from Francesca, joining Jonny behind the safety of his energy shield.

"I take it this was what you didn't us to hear." she told the swirling _sky_.

"What's going on?" Jonny asked.

* * *

In the real world the young Sultan was already rushing to enter the abort codes. "I am logging you out!" he stated in all urgency.

* * *

"No, Hadji!" Jonny called out, too late.

Before Jonny's eyes the lights flashed, signaling the log out of Questworld. Mentally fighting it as much as he could he couldn't stop it from happening. As soon as the VR interface visor shut down and his senses surface the smell of burning circuitry reached his nose and the occasional flash of a spark caught his eyes.

"What happened?" Jessie asked before Jonny could.

"Whoever their hacker is was one step ahead of me. He sent a _bomb_."

"A what?"

"A _bomb_. A cyber-bomb. It is like a virus that specifically targets the primary memory and RAM and overloads them with information. I barely managed to pull the both of you out of there before the system crashed."

Jonny pulled at his own hair in frustration. "We almost had them." he ground fiercely.

Then he rounded on Jessie. The worry he had in him for her during their time in Questworld had turned to some mysterious form of anger. He hadn't wanted her there. Jessie blinked from the steel she saw in his eyes. She wasn't used to seeing this kind of look from him, especially not directed at her.

"And you! What the Hell do you think you were doing?" he demanded, his tone harsh.

She blinked, his tone forcing her to take a step back in surprise. "Helping you." she answered lamely.

"_I didn't want you there!_" 

He suddenly stopped himself before he could say another word. With a growl he tossed his visor at Hadji and stormed out of the Lighthouse Lab. Jessie was going to chase after him, but Hadji stopped her.

"Give him time. His anger is not directed at you, but at Kyle. This was important to him. When he has... _cooled down_ he will apologize. But now is not the time."

Jessie just stared at the door. She felt torn, but Hadji was right. He needed to blow off some steam after this fight. Besides, had Francesca been the one to have issued Jessie the challenge she would have probably reacted the same way. Their first battle with Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton... and they had lost.

* * *

Race Bannon read the security reports before him as he sat on the plush couch. Marie Métier had given him and Doctor Quest the use of her home for the duration of their stay. He surveyed the room again with a smile. She had impeccable taste when it came to decorating this chalet style house. Soap stone and Native wood carvings adorned the walls and shelves. Native woven blankets were thrown elegantly over the furniture. This was a welcoming home for anyone, especially with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in from the kitchen. 

He returned his attention to the reports and grimaced in disgust. Somehow there had been a leak in their security and the media had found out Doctor Quest was here working on the problem with the virus. Race hated the media. They were always there when they weren't needed, got into places where they shouldn't be, and _always_ needed to be saved because they were too stupid to get out of trouble.

"Probably would stay right where they were even if a Grizzly was chargin' at them." he muttered sourly.

Just then the door leading outside opened, letting in a mildly cold breeze as Doctor Quest and Marie Métier walked in. Both looked very tired as they shrugged out of their coats, but Marie looked on the verge of tears. Race was on his feet and at her side in seconds.

"What happened?" he thought to ask them both.

Benton sighed heavily. "Two of the chimpanzees we infected this morning with a modified version of the virus just died." 

Marie pressed herself to Race's chest and began to sob softly, mourning for the lab animals. Race held her tight in comfort. He hated to see anyone cry.

Benton gave them a moment of silence before continuing. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he had first put in the request for the animals. Truth be known he hadn't liked it either, but there had been no other choice in the matter. And then seeing those poor creatures die. It had been the drop that spilt the cup.

"I really hate having to do this to those poor animals, Race, but what other choice do we have." 

Race led them both farther into the house towards the living room area where they sat. 

"The computers aren't reliable enough to construct an antidote, we can't connect with IRIS because we might infect those systems, and this virus attacks specifically human or human like DNA." Benton continued. "This is so damned frustrating."

"I was thinkin', Doc. What if you're lookin' at this the wrong way?" Marie pulled back slightly and both she and Benton waited for Race to continue. "Think 'bout it. Julia launches a computer virus _before_ she launched the worst biological virus to hit the coast. What if that means..."

"What if that means the computer virus is there to make our jobs harder because the computers would find a cure right away!" Marie concluded, suddenly understanding.

"And that would fit Julia's previous modus operandi. Brilliant! I'll need help for this, but we can't call on anymore outside help now that the media found out. Who do we know who knows the present situation and who knows computers inside and out."

Race shrugged. "The kids."

"Right, and out of them?

He snapped his fingers in realization. "Hadji!"

"Exactly! In the morning I'll contact him and tell him to take one of the planes and fly up here. If we are going to beat this little puzzle Julia sent us then we need the computer systems purged and back on-line as soon as possible."

"Then... we won't need the chimps after that?" Marie asked hopefully.

Benton smiled reassuringly. "We certainly won't. With the computers fixed we'll be able to safely connect with IRIS and find a cure in no time."

"I'm wonderin' why we just don't send it to the kids an' have them have a crack at the problem."

Doctor quest shook his head in negative. "Electronic mail systems are down and could carry the computer virus to IRIS. And I don't trust regular mail or the courier systems with Julia, Lorenzo, and whoever else they have working for them out there. We'll stop testing on the chimpanzees, but this plan to go after the computer virus stays between the three of us."

"Right. The less people who know about this the less chances there are of an info leak. We'll just say that we needed some equipment from Maine an' had Hadji fly it all up here."

"Sound so very _cloak and dagger_." Marie voiced with a small grin.

Race and Benton both chuckled. "This is business as usual for us, Marie. Now, Race, how about some of that delicious coffee I smell."

* * *

Doctor Jeremiah Surd sat in front of a large computer screen, surveying the news reports on the Canadian television channels, grinning with glee. What a delightful little mess Julia had created using his files. The virus had spread from killing children to killing adults. The entire area surrounding Victoria, Vancouver, and their suburbs had been quarantined and the airports closed to stop the spreading of this virus. And to add to the damage all medical or medically related computers were attacked by an electronic virus to stay the possibility of a quick cure. Surd was pleased.

The door to the private room opened and in walked Julia. "Milani is taking care of Merrick and Hamilton in Questworld. You wished to see me, Jeremiah?"

__

"Yes, Julia, please, sit. I have questions to ask you." 

She sat at the console next to him. "Ask me anything you want."

__

"I need to know more on those people you hired. Why them specifically?" 

She grinned. "The important ones had previous run-ins with the Quests. The others are canon fodder." She turned to the keyboard before her and began tapping in commands, calling up files on each member of her assembled team. "Peter Stanton, the wild looking one Lorenzo brought in shortly after we brought you out of Questworld, is a former marine. Very unstable and spent several years in an insane asylum, but the only thing keeping him going right now is the promise that he'll have a chance to kill young Quest. He encountered the boy in Maine. Seems to hate him with a passion."

__

"Such a hatred can be very useful if properly focused. Yes, a good asset." 

"Next, Kyle Merrick, the boy of our _team_. His file starts after a strange incident in Rockport where he went after Bannon's Daughter. He has a fixation with her it seems. His police record shows he's adept in many different styles of fighting. For almost two years he was at Rikers Maximum State Prison as a dangerous offender where he escaped by killing a guard and passing himself off as him. It's not specific on how he was caught again, but it says the Quests were again involved with his re-capture. His style is unique, but effective. Various reports I've amassed from South America and India place him at the top of the mercenary chart."

__

"Hmm, an interesting fixation we will have to keep an eye on. But I'm impressed by his resume _and references. He, too, wants young Quest dead by the looks of it. I wonder why?"_

"Francesca Hamilton also has a history with the Quests and Bannons. It seems she was to be a distraction to allow her Father to steal material from Doctor Quest. She was in Cairo at the same time as them and is reported to be the cause of Bannon's Daughter being in the hospital near death. Too bad she failed in killing her. She and her Father were extradited to the States where they were imprisoned. She was released on good behavior, yeah right, and has been a resident of Rockport, Maine, ever since. Her experience with weapons and espionage seemed worthy to recruit her."

__

"Yes, a good idea. She wants Miss Bannon dead from what is said in her file. Another mystery to discover." 

"Katianna Souriskova. Little is known of her since she was never caught. From what she's volunteered to tell me she's a cat burglar of surprising talent. In fact she led the heist on CFB Chilliwack to steal some needed equipment. You could almost call her a rubber band on legs."

__

"Interesting." 

"I plan to use her to distract Bannon long enough to get to Quest and Métier, the other doctor working with him. Ted Milani, a self proclaimed _King of the Hackers_, he was caught a few years back hacking into the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and deleting information for fun. He has computer knowledge that surpass even our own, Jeremiah."

__

"Does he now? Well, well, well. I may have just found a candidate for neural extraction when all this is done." 

Julia grinned. "I thought you might enjoy him. Cassidy Bela, a _hacker for hire_ as she calls herself. She has the unusual ability to be able to remember every bit of electronic information she sees. That why she was imprisoned, for the safety of the United States. Seems she gathered enough information on our government to make her a very rich woman and any country receiving this information invincible. A mind like that might be useful for, say, being another candidate for you later?"

Surd merely chuckled.

"Ethyl Erma's file shows nothing important. She is a computer expert who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was surprised downloading some very sensitive files. She claims innocence of the whole incident, but the authorities weren't so understanding. Now Basil Thornton is an interesting case. He worked in Area 51 in their bio-engineering division, splicing and re-combining DNA with other strands from different species. But he was short on money and began selling his work to the highest bidder. He was never formally charged because then the authorities would have to admit something was going on at Area 51 that wasn't completely legal. He was perfect to develop your virus. A mercenary bio-engineer by the name of Aidan Armand also helps him. Her file simply states that she was imprisoned for not sharing any of her research with any country where it would've helped. She finds an almost perverse pleasure in releasing her notes on a cure only after the death toll has reached the hundred thousands."

__

"A perfect mind to work for us. Well done, Julia. I'm most pleased and impressed with your selections. You've put a lot of thought behind all this." 

"I live to please, Jeremiah." and they both began to laugh.

* * *

With a huge, pleased grin plastered on his face Kyle Merrick extracted himself from the Virtual Reality equipment. Francesca Hamilton chuckled as she did the same.

"Oh, yes! That was beautiful, Milani!" he praised, _hi-fiving_ the hacker.

Ted Milani shrugged casually in false modesty. "Wasn't very big really. A simple code of my design that specifically blows up anything I choose."

"And what did you choose?" Francesca asked, shaking the tangles in her long raven hair that the helmet had caused.

He grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "Ah, that was a stroke of pure genius. I remembered that our little _hound _program was still running in the Quests' mainframe so I just sent a wonderful little bug after it. Once it reached the _hound_ it was programmed to attack any and all surrounding systems. And boom!"

Kyle had to laugh. "I don't care how simple you call it. It was perfect. The look on _Lizard Boy_'s face when the other logged him out. That'll be carved in my mind forever. I owe you for that pleasure." and, after giving his hand a good shake, her and Francesca began walking away down an ill lit corridor to the personal quarters. Kyle stretched and sighed heavily. "After that, a shower, and I'm set for the night."

Francesca gave him a sultry grin. "No, you're not set. We still have to celebrate."

He smiled knowingly, pinning her to the wall. "If you can give me ten minutes to get cleaned up..."

"And only ten minutes." she purred.

"That's all I'll need." 

Then he kissed her forehead and walked away to his quarters before heading for the building's one and only shower. He showered quickly under the hot stream of water, washing away the thin film of perspiration caused from the battle in VR. Then, after drying off and putting on a night robe, he left, not for his quarters, but for Francesca's. Hers was the most secluded of all the rooms, in a far corner all by itself. The other rooms around it were used for storage. Kyle grinned. She had chosen well. 

He didn't bother knocking on the door, just barging right in. She turned sharply in surprise, but a seductive smile hid her initial shock from him as he closed the door. He took her shoulders and pushed her back hard against the wall, his lips meshing hard with hers. Her fingers dug into his back. He pulled back with a sharp inhale and yanked open her thin blouse, the buttons clattering in ever which direction. Kyle didn't give her a moment to react to the move, already nibbling and biting at her breast through the intricate black lace of her bra. She gave little yelps from the pleasurable pain he was causing. His hands were at her waist and, with a sharp tug, he pulled her jeans down to her ankles to reveal a pair of black lace underwear. He licked and nibbled at the inside of her thighs, thrilling from the feel and smell of her skin. 

Francesca was lost. Only sounds came from her lips, nothing coherent, and her movements eluded her. How could any one man make her feel this way, so violently? She played the passive role for now, knowing somehow this was how he liked it. He suddenly turned her around to pin her facing the wall as he pressed his full length against her, placing open mouthed kisses along her shoulders and side of her neck. He yanked the clasps of her bra apart, almost ripping the garment off of her. Then he reached around her, cupping each full breast in a hand, kneading and squeezing them, making her cry out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. She trembled. Francesca suddenly felt one of his hands slide down over the flat of her stomach to between her thighs and begin caressing her through the lace of her underwear. She forced herself away from the wall, turning to face him. His eyes seemed to bore right through her, a menacing grin on his lips. She tugged at the rope tying his robe shut. It fell open in an instant and he pressed his full naked length against her, eliciting an even stronger tremble from her. He nibbled his way down from her shoulder to her breasts, biting and teasing her nipples into taut buds, as he pulled off the last of her garments. 

Kyle suddenly picked her up and tossed her unceremoniously on to the makeshift bed in the corner, leaping on top of her to pin her there, kneeling between her legs. There were no preliminaries. He was inside her with one quick thrust. She cried out at this, arching up to him. His hands held her hips in a bruising grip, grinding his hips against hers, as she panted and moaned from his harsh attention. Francesca gripped at the pillow, faintly hearing the stitches in it snap from her tugging. An incredible sensation began to flood her senses. Instinctively she knew what this was and reached out to Kyle. Her legs locked around his hips. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as his arms crushed her to his chest, their lips meshing once more. Her whole body shook as he gave one last, long, hard thrust. 

A moment later she collapsed to her back, both panting desperately for breath. He looked down at her, at her every beautifully flushed curves. Her eyes were closed as she struggled for air. Kyle smiled and leaned over her, pressing his lips to her forehead. She chuckled breathlessly, holding onto his arms at either side of her head, looking up into his steel grey eyes.

"You make me forget my past." she breathed softly, blissfully.

"I was just going to say the same thing to you. Is it too early to tell you something?"

She frowned a grin, intrigued. "What?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I love you." he breathed. "It's the first time I've ever told any woman that and meant it."

Her eyes softened, honored by the admission. Gently she touched his face. "I love you, too, Kyle." and their lips met again as they held each other tight.

* * *

Jessie sat in the family room on the couch, her eyes focused on the fire crackling in the fireplace, her hand absently scratching behind Bandit's ear as he nuzzled himself next to her leg.. She still couldn't believe it had happened. Jonny and her had just had a fight. They had been battling Francesca Hamilton and Kyle Merrick in Questworld and had been forced to log out of the program or risk being killed. They had almost beaten their enemies and Jonny still had the energy pent up inside him. Jessie knew he wasn't really mad at her, but it still had hurt. The look in his eyes had been ice.

__

"CRYSTA ROBERTSON AT FRONT DOOR" IRIS suddenly boomed into the room.

With a sigh Jessie rose to her feet and went to open the door. The eccentric blond stood there in a purple cat suit under a lime green ski jacket. Her hair was tied back in a tight braid. A look of worry was on her face.

"I came as soon as you called, Chica. What's wrong?"

"We had a fight."

"You and Jonny? Oh man!", and she gave her friend a tight hug. They went back into the family room and sat down. "Tell me all about it, Jess."

Jessie recounted the entire incident to her friend, omitting not one single bit of detail. Like the good friend she was, Crysta kept a tight hold on Jessie's hand. "... And then he just stormed out and we've been avoiding each other since. I want to talk to him, but I don't know how to... to..."

"Bridge the gap?" Jessie nodded. "What I do with Todd when that happens is I hover."

"Hover?"

"Yeah. Not noticeably or obsessively, but enough to be there. It gave him enough time to realize what happened. Of course, with you and Jonny, you'll have to take a different approach. I mean, you have Hadji here to be like a relay between the two of you."

As if on cue, Hadji appeared in the door to the family room. Hadji smiled gently when he saw Crysta and Jessie sitting on one of the sofas, understanding what this was all about. "Good evening, Crysta." he said.

"Speak of the devil." she grinned. "Hey, Hadj. What news?"

Hadji sighed. "Well, he is in the gym venting out his anger. You would not want to cross him when he is angry." 

Jessie looked away to the fire at that comment. It was worse than she had originally thought. 

"How bad is it?" Crysta thought to ask.

Hadji tried to laugh to cover up the trouble he felt within. He failed miserably. "When I went to the gym to speak to him, I tried to humor his mood by holding the punching bag while he vented. I told him that if he continued this vicious attack on the bag, then it would end up looking like a prune. Well, he did not take my comment very well. As a matter of fact, he became quite hostile towards me, and warned me to back away. According to him, he was in no mood to _joke around_. The look on his face was the _exact_ same look I had seen in Cairo when he went after Francesca, so I knew it would be wise to leave him be." He sighed heavily. "Crysta, when I learned that he had single-handedly taken down _all_ the members that were present in Cairo, of the crime organization the Hamiltons were a part of, I had learned that Jonny was the _last _person anyone would want to cross when he is extremely angry. I am, to an extent, actually feeling a bit of joy to know that Merrick and Francesca will not stand a chance when Jonny confronts either of them again. He has reached his breaking point again, like in Cairo, and believe me when I say that he might go to extremes in neutralizing the both of them. In that I do _not_ take any comfort."

"And not necessarily good news for Chica here." Crysta sighed, looking to Jessie. She then turned back to Hadji. "Any chance we might get him to cool off?"

Hadji winced before he replied. "Crysta, I believe we should let Jonny have his time to vent out his anger." He turned to Jessie with a very serious expression on his face. "Jessie, I know that you want to talk to him at this very moment, but I would rather have him release his anger in the gym rather than on you. He might try something very foolish as log into Questworld to find Kyle and Francesca again, but I think I can stop that from happening. Believe me, it is for the best for now if you are not around."

They suddenly heard Jonny's loud cry coming from the gym followed by a very loud thud of the punching bag. All three of them jumped in surprised shock and Bandit took off running in the direction of the gym, barking all the way.

At this Crysta grabbed Jessie's arms, steering her towards the door. "All right, Jess, we're leaving. You need air..."

"No, I don't--"

"Oh, yes, you do. This'll give Blondie some down time. As for Questworld, Hadj, can you make sure somehow that he doesn't get back in? If I know Blondie, he _will_ try to go back in and finish what he started. You know my cell number if you need to reach us. We'll be at the mall." and she all but dragged Jessie out of the house to her car.

"Crysta!" Hadji called out to her. She turned to him. "I would like to speak to you for just a moment."

"Give me two minutes, Hadj." She ushered Jessie out of the house and into the passenger seat of the car, then returned to the house. "What is it?"

Hadji gave her a conspiring look as he spoke in a low voice. "Do you keep your cellular phone on you at all times when you are out of your home?"

"Yeah, always. It's like my credit cards, never go anywhere without it."

Hadji nodded seriously. He just couldn't find it within him to try to acknowledge her humor at this point in time. He was too worried about Jonny and Jessie. "Listen, I am going to keep my cellular phone with me as well. You know my number. I want you to keep making the calls here, from the mall, whenever you can keep a distance from Jessie. It may, or may not, be serious, but I have no intentions of taking that chance. As it is, Jessie is in a lot of confusion and distress, and I can not bare to see in anymore of it. That is why I want you to find ways to excuse yourself from her whenever you possibly can, so you could contact me on a regular basis. _Try_ to call me _every_ hour that you are there at the mall. I shall keep you posted on Jonny's condition and you can tell me how she is doing, but _do_ _not_ mention this to Jessie. I do not want her to have any knowledge of this. She needs to be away from this until the situation settles down, understand?"

Her eyes went wide. "Yikes! Reminds me of The Avengers. Yeah, sure, I'll do that. Just make sure you find a crack in that nut's shell, okay?"

Hadji let out a heavy sigh, "This may seem absurd, but I believe that this much precaution is _necessary_! This situation must be handled delicately before it becomes worse."

"Just might if _we_ don't do anything about it. You handle Mister Adventurer back there, like I know only you can, and I'll try my best with Chica. Deal?" and she stuck her hand out to him.

He shook her hand. "Agreed."

* * *

Crysta drove along the icy cliff roads towards downtown Rockport. Jessie sighed heavily after a few minutes and turned to her friend. "I still don't get why we couldn't stay back at the Compound. Jonny--"

"Needs some time to cool off," she cut off. "This will give him that time."

"But he needs me."

"Sorry, Chica. Right now he has a better chance of blowing up at you again if you're around him. He needs to realize what he did and the only way he'll be able to do that is if he gets rid of all that excess energy. And you need to find a way to talk to him again when Blondie cools off, but not something analyzed to death. Something your subconscious worked out."

Jessie sighed again. "That's why we're going into town?"

"That right."

"To think with my subconscious?"

"Right again."

"So how do you propose I do that?"

Crysta grinned impishly. "Shopping!"

Jessie had to chuckle. "Should've guessed. You're a hopeless shop-o-holic, you know that?"

"What can I say, I'm a slave to fashion."

"More like a fashion victim."

"Don't even go there, Chica. Tell me something though?"

"Sure."

"Why is it this Kyle Merrick guy and Francesca seemed to always push all of Blondie's buttons?"

Jessie hesitated as they came to the outskirts of Rockport. "Francesca, is still after him and wants me dead again, you know that much. Merrick... That's too long a story."

"That's okay. You can tell me while I attempt to update your wardrobe."

Jessie groaned in amused dismay. They arrived at the mall shortly after and Crysta dragged Jessie from one shop to the next. Clothing shops, book stores, accessories stores. The Brooklyn native even brought Jessie into a lingerie store.

"Something to make the making up more memorable." had been her reason to Jessie.

Finally, tired from this mini marathon, they sat at the food court for a bite to eat. Jessie sighed heavily as she put her feet up on the chair across from her. "To shop with you, Crys, one almost needs an electric golf cart."

She chuckled. "But I get things done. Speaking of getting things done, you were going to tell me something?" she prompted.

"Merrick and Francesca, yeah... What to say? Merrick is after me because I didn't want him. I told him no and he didn't take it very well. Not that I'd ever want him, what with trying to kill Jonny each and every time."

"That's that Dragon's Blood thing, right? When you and Blondie finally figured out a few things about your feelings?"

Jessie gave a small, sad grin. "Yeah. You know, Jonny's amazing. A will of iron, incredible courage or stupidity, I haven't quite figured that out, a heart so big there's room for the Universe and more... He tries so hard to make everyone happy, to make me happy, but at the same time I feel he's holding back. It sounds selfish, but that's not what I mean. It's almost like he's afraid. I just don't know of what exactly."

"I think I can help you out there. Look at what's happened in the past three years. He almost died without telling you how much he loved you. And then you almost died twice, the person her cherishes more than life. He's afraid you'll get hurt, that he'll lose you. He wants to protect you, like any guy would."

"But I don't need protection. I'm not some shrinking violet, I can take care of myself."

"Let's look at this from Blondie's perspective. Let's reversed the roles here, Chica, and ask what if you were the one who was in Jonny's shoes? Lets say this, Kyle Merrick had put Jonny in the hospital and he was in a coma. If Jonny was pronounced clinically dead, wouldn't you go after this Merrick guy to kill him? Wouldn't you become _very_ over-protective towards Jonny afterwards even though you knew he was capable of taking care of himself? You see, Jess, Jonny _knows_ that you are very capable of taking care of yourself, but he doesn't want to take anymore chances of seeing you hurt _ever again_. If I remember this right, you told me once that your mother had said something like that to you too. I don't blame him for being so over-protective towards you after what he went through in Cairo. He wants to protect you, you want to protect him, but neither of you have ever talked about why you do it, what your motive is behind it. Everyone else has told you, but you need to be face-to-face and confront that aspect. You were stepping on each other's toes without realizing it."

Jessie had a long pause as she absorbed this information. Crysta was right. She was absolutely right. She smirked at her friend. "When did you become so smart?"

"Hey, you grow up in Brooklyn and have to watch out for three younger Brothers, you learn a few things."

* * *

Lorenzo slipped through the waters of the Pacific coastline towards the small wooden pier. A large white building stood in the distance, and not far from that a wood cabin. He grinned over his snorkel. Doctor Quest and Race Bannon were in one of these two buildings. His orders had been to lead a strike against them to slow down whatever progress they had made. His favorite kind of work. He knew that somewhere on either side of him was a grouping of thirty of so of the best men Julia had hired. Peter Stanton, that psycho, was also there somewhere. Lorenzo hoped he could keep him under control for this little mission.

* * *

Having left Marie and Race lost in their conversation, Benton had returned to the lab. He watched four of the lab technicians on hand moving the chimps from the autopsy lab towards the back room where he knew was a large bio-matter incinerator. He was vaguely aware of anyone next to him until she began to speak. Nina LaChance, a beautiful and brilliant woman with long golden hair. Before he arrived in Simoom Sound, Marie Métier had been in charge of this project with Nina LaChance as Second-in-Command. Now he was in charge which moved LaChance down a notch. But she took it without a trace of bitterness. She reminded him a lot of Rachel in some ways, graceful, strong...

__

And half your age, a voice inside him chided for the romantics thoughts that began to surge forth.

"The livers all showed signs of jaundice and the bone marrow was nearly dead." she began. "The hemocytometer showed an unusually high count of white cells and platelets and abnormal hemoglobin. What I don't understand is why this Julia didn't make it airborne. Again, call me morbid, but it would've been more deadly this way."

Benton sighed heavily. "Julia isn't aiming for a death toll. She just wants people to suffer. An airborne virus is too hard to control. She wants this in one area so she can control it and be able to give threats in all security that it won't spread to somewhere where the computers aren't affected and a cure can be found."

"She really thought this all out."

"This is Doctor Surd's Julia. She has never done anything halfway."

Nina nodded quietly before looking up at him. "Sorry about the chimpanzees."

Benton shook his head sadly. "It had to be tried. Those scared creatures died for science, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. After all, scientifically speaking, they're family."

"Makes you kind of sorry to test on the remaining chimps."

"We're not testing again for a least a few days. I'm... um... bringing in another member of my staff who... um... might be able to help us."

She was about to say something when the loud peal of an alarm filled the building to a deafening level. Benton ducked slightly out of reflex. Over the sirens he could hear sudden gunfire. Then the three words he always dreaded to hear.

"_We're under attack!_"

"Oh, damn!" he muttered. A group of RCMP's raced into the lab and began barricading the door. Benton quickly spotted Race and Marie in that crowd of a dozen or so. "Race!"

"We were on our way here when we spotted them. They came out of nowhere, Doc! Lorenzo's calling the shots, I saw that much."

"Julia's afraid we're getting too close to the answer. How many?"

"'Bout thirty. All armed. We're bein' creamed out there."

Benton looked to those around him. The RCMP's lining the windows and doors, at ready for a fight. Marie Métier and Nina LaChance huddling with the other laboratory personnel, waiting to see what would happen with fear. As he scanned the small group in the lab his eyes fell on a large black trunk with a stylized green Q across the cover. A glimmer of hope registered in his soul. "Race, help me!"

They both ran to the trunk, not taking the time to fish for a key. Race merely grabbed an overhead lamp and rammed down hard on the trunk's lock. It popped open with a resounding clang. Inside the trunk, all neatly nestled in molded foam spaces, was a number of small handheld devices, fifteen in all. Race palmed one and looked at it. It vaguely resembled a .38 Weston.

"What are these things?" he asked, passing the rest out to the gathered RCMP personnel.

"Prototypes I had brought over. My design, Pentagon researched and built. They're phased plaser guns, or PPGs for short. Theoretically they shoot a burst of plasma and can stun or kill, depending on the setting."

"Theoretically?"

Benton looked at Race with a slightly sheepish shrug. "They were never tested beyond the calculations phase of design."

"Great." he muttered. He took a good long look at the weapon before raising an eyebrow to his long time friend. "Your design you said?"

"Yes."

Race shrugged. "Good enough for me. Now how d'you work these things?"

* * *

__

Kill Quest! Kill Quest! was the mantra like chant being repeated over and over in Peter Stanton's mind. 

He was fixated, a dangerous state for the psychotic. A man in polar combat fatigues ran towards him to stop him. Stanton merely punched him to stun him, then snapped his neck like a twig. This kill made him feel good, but the true prize was still ahead in the laboratory. 

And he _would_ get him. First, the elder Quest. Jonny Quest would follow soon enough.

* * *

"Go, go, go!" Lorenzo called to his troops, urging them towards the laboratory complex where he knew Doctor Quest and Bannon had taken refuge with the other scientists. "Aim for the windows! Shoot anything that moves!" and he himself took aim for one of the glass panes. 

But, before he or anyone else could fire, the glass exploded from inside. The air seemed to ripple from a heat source from within. 

"What the Hell...?"

A cry from off to his side made him turn away from the strange sight. With each occurrence one of his men would be projected back into the air, then fall to the ground unconscious. Confused, a bitter lump rising in his throat, he took aim for one of the windows and fired off a couple shots. Firing a fifth time he noticed one of the heat disturbances was coming towards him. He barely had time to hit the ground as it raced over him. It _was_ heat, with an electrical feel to it.

__

Aw man! Why couldn't they have used bullets? he questioned bitterly. _At least then, with flak jackets, we have a chance. Doctor Surd and Julia are __**not**__ going to like this part, but..._

"Fall back! Fall back!"

* * *

Doctor Quest watched the attackers run just beyond the reach of the PPGs. "Are they retreating?" he thought to ask.

Race looked long and hard to the scene going on outside, then shook his head. "'Fraid not. They're regroupin'. Your little _party favors_ took 'em off guard."

"We can't stay here, Race."

"I know, I know. This is a logistical nightmare. What's the sayin'? Sittin' ducks?"

"And what's Jonny's saying? Take the fight to them?"

"We only need to take out Lorenzo. They'll split as soon as he's gone." He moved away from the window and pointed to two officers. "You and you, stay here and make sure no one gets in." He turned to Doctor Quest. "Jonny would never forgive me if I let you go out there."

"Never forgive _you_? _I_ wouldn't hear the end of it myself. Nor would I have an easier time with Jessie if you got hurt out there. Be careful, Old Friend."

"Hey! It's me." he stated nonchalantly as he prepared to lead the charge outside.

Benton groaned in slight dismay. "Where have I heard that before?" he questioned the ceiling.

* * *

From his vantage point behind a redwood, Lorenzo could see some activity taking place within the laboratory. If he knew Bannon, and he liked to think he did, he would be trying to make a charge out of the building. Take the fight outside where they could maneuver more easily. With silent signals Lorenzo got his remaining men to spread out, offering harder targets for the impending charge. He frowned suddenly, looking at his men. There was something wrong here. Someone was missing. 

"Aw, man!" he groaned in realization as Race Bannon led the charge out of the laboratory. "Stanton!"

* * *

Race's foot barely had time to touch the grass outside the lab before a solid fist connected with his jaw. He hit the ground hard, recovering enough to look up at his attacker. At first he didn't quite recognize this man. Then the memory returned from being jumbled by the blow. Race's heart froze. _Stanton!_

"Surprise!" this one shrieked with a mad cackle before lunging down at Race.

Bannon's foot connected hard with Stanton's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, and giving him just enough time to get back to his feet. Nothing of the fights around them mattered anymore. They faced each other in a fighting stance, circling each other like buzzards around a corpse. Race grimaced. Stanton hadn't changed a bit. He still frothed at the mouth, his eyes as bloodshot as ever. Suddenly the madman lunged at him. Race tried to absorb the lunge, and failed. Stanton had put too much power behind it. He had Race pinned to the wet ground, pummeling and pounding at him with his balled fists, scratching and tearing with his overly long fingernails. A thought out, regular fight Race would be able to handle. The angry beating of a raving mad lunatic was impossible for anyone to anticipate and therefore ward off. He fought as best he could from his back, throwing practiced punches and chops, but nothing seemed to work. His lucky break came when he managed to grab Stanton's collar and rolled him over his shoulder. Before Stanton could recover Race lunged at him. He had enough of this madman. He threw roundhouse kick after drop kick after straight kick, oblivious to the pain of forming bruises or the blood of cuts and scratches dripping over his eyes. Race then gathered his strength behind one solid punch to Stanton's jaw. It connected with a sharp crack, the lunatic falling to the wet ground in a heap. Race waited a few moment longer, waiting for Stanton to move. Except for the rise and fall of his chest, Stanton was motionless. A man Race didn't recognize, sporting heavy welts and bruised on his face, suddenly came into view, quickly slung Stanton over his shoulder, and raced after more men towards the open water. After a few moments of frantic splashing all fell quiet. That's when Race looked around. Bodies lay everywhere, some moaning in pain, others beyond feeling anything ever again. 

They had won this skirmish, but at what price?

* * *

Jonny decided to take a shower after spending so much time in the gym venting all the rage and anger he felt. He still couldn't believe that he actually lost against Kyle Merrick in Questworld... Questworld! How could that be? As far as he knew Merrick hadn't been an active participant of the VR world for too long, probably a few days at the most. Jonny, on the other hand, had been using it all his life. He had used it for games, scientific procedures with his Father, Jessie, and Hadji, school projects, and many other areas in which the system was of help. Combat in Questworld was definitely not a new experience for Jonny. 

There were many different times when Jonny, along with the other members of the Quest Team, had faced perilous dangers in Questworld, and they had won each and every time. Most of those dangers came from Dr. Jeremiah Surd. He would have understood if they lost to Surd because he had possession of a variation of Questworld, but this was Kyle Merrick they lost to... Kyle Merrick! A rookie in Questworld! He lost to a rookie! 

As he came out of the showers and wrapped himself in his bathrobe, he went straight to his bedroom and closed the door. He dried himself off and put on some clean clothes. He was almost out the door when he stopped himself. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the shining gold locket Jessie gave him a few years back in Bangalore. He slowly picked it up and looked at it. The dragon design's ruby eyes seemed to bore into him, almost frowning. He opened it to look at the two pictures inside. One was of his mother, Rachel Wildey Quest, and the other picture was of none other than his best friend and lover, Jessica Bannon. She was the one person whom he loved more than anyone in this world, more than life itself. Suddenly, guilt came upon him as he realized what he did. He had yelled at her, hurt her emotionally. He let out a heavy sigh of grief as he gripped the locket hard, drawing blood. He buried his face in his other hand, shaking his head. 

__

Oh God, what have I done? he asked himself. _Sure, I was mad at her for logging into Questworld during this, but she's always been there for me. I shouldn't have yelled..._

Then, he knew where he needed to be. He went dashing out of his room, with the locket still in his hand, as he went looking for Hadji. "Hadji!" 

Hadji quickly exited from his room to wonder what the matter was. He looked a bit startled, "What is it?" 

"We gotta go out..."

* * *

That evening, they drove to one of the nearby cliffs to where Jonny had chosen. He needed some time to think things through. Jonny parked the car with it's back towards the cliff.

As they sat on the trunk, staring at the ocean and the night sky above it, Hadji asked, "I do not understand why we had to come here. You usually go to the cliffs at home whenever you wanted some peace." 

"I needed to be away from the mansion, Hadj." Jonny replied, his tone sad and depressed as he toyed with the locket now around his neck again.

Hadji noticed the look of forlorn in his Brother's eyes, watching his fingers play with the locket, Jessie's gift. Jonny was almost caressing it. They just sat there for a while as they gazed at the stars. It was cold and the snow lay thick around them, but the night still seemed to be pleasant enough despite it. Both of them needed this time. Just as when they were kids, they used to spend a lot of time such as this, together, not talking. As they grew older more responsibilities and obligations had taken away those young and carefree days the two of them had together as Brothers.

Finally, Jonny smiled for the first time in a while. "Just like old times, eh Hadj?"

A grin formed on Hadji's face. "That is exactly what I was reminiscing too. Those were times of no worries, no stress, and no dangers. It was simply a time of complete innocence."

Jonny sighed. "You know, I'm starting to miss those days. We didn't have a care in the world when we were younger. Sometimes I wish I could just go back..."

"I do, too" The silence returned again and they both remained in this silence for some time. Even though they were enjoying this rare occasion to just be Brother away from the world, Jonny knew the real reason they came here. It was time to sort out the troubles that seemed to begin with Jessie earlier that day. "I'm ready to talk about it, Hadji."

Hadji became completely attentive. "All right, tell me what is the matter?"

Jonny sighed, "I just can't believe that we actually lost to Merrick and Francesca in Questworld! Come on, Hadji, this is Questworld! There was no way we were supposed to lose!"

"We did not have much of a choice, my friend. We did not know how capable of an anchor they had. Apparently, he was smart enough to keep his pace with me. My notion is that Julia and Surd taught him how to use the Questworld systems."

"But that's the anchor, and I believe his name is something Milani. Anyway, he's not the reason why I'm so pissed off. I just can't believe we lost to Merrick and Hamilton. I mean, come on, they hadn't been using Questworld for very long. We have been using Questworld for all our lives! How could we lose?"

"But Jonny, if you think back to the problem, we were winning. You were beating Kyle and Francesca with the weaponry I had supplied, but it was not the two of them that were truly responsible for our defeat. It was Milani. I must admit that I was also the one at fault for underestimating my counterpart's Questworld skills. If I had known how well his anchoring skills were, then we most certainly would have won."

Jonny grunted, but he knew that Hadji was right. He turned to look at his Stepbrother and spoke solemnly. "I'm sorry about what happened in the gym today, Hadj."

Hadji waved it off as if nothing was. "Think nothing of it. I realize that you were extremely furious then."

Jonny let out another sigh. "I didn't mean to blow up in Jessie's face like that either, but I wanted to log into Questworld _alone_! I didn't want Jessie to get into anymore dangerous situations."

"Jonny, you and I both know that Jessie can take excellent care of herself in these situations."

Jonny faced him sharply. "Don't you think I know that, but _I don't want her getting hurt ever again_!"

Hadji sighed. "I am well aware of that, and I do not blame you. However, have you seen this from her perspective? When the two of you were only friends, she was quite protective of you then. She would not let you go into dangerous situations without her. She did not allow that with me either. It is in her caring nature. We are her family and family is all she has left that is truly worth fighting for. Now that the two of you have become much more than that, she has become a lot more protective towards you because she loves you more than life itself. You cannot expect her to stop protecting you, especially not with the lives we all lead."

"But when were friends Jessie knew that I would always get into this kind of trouble and she had accepted it. True, she didn't just let us to into danger because she came with us, but now it is a whole different ball game. She wants to protect me from danger altogether! Now I know that she's scared that I'll get hurt, but we've been doing this for so long!"

Hadji smiled gently. "But, Jonny, you are contradicting the situation by not wanting Jessie there at all while you want to face danger alone. While you fear for her safety, she fears for yours as well. She feels that you should not be in danger either, and she will go to great lengths to protect you."

"But I don't need protection, Hadji!" Jonny retorted. "I can take care of myself. I'm not some helpless child."

"Listen carefully to yourself, Jonny. Jessie says the same thing. She also keeps telling you that she does not need to be protected. She is not, as she puts it, a _shrinking violet_. However, I believe that you should protect her to a certain level. If the danger is too great, then I believe that you should help her. However, if it is to a degree to which she can deal with it herself, then you should allow her to do so."

Jonny sighed. "After what happened in Cairo and the road rage right here, I don't think I can ever give her that much of a chance. I just can't..."

After a brief moment, Hadji replied. "I completely understand why you do not want to give her the chance to be independent in dangerous situations because of those two incidences, but you must _try_. As I said, I do not believe that you should totally leave her be in dangerous situations, but you must allow her to fight her own battles to an extent. Besides, we are a team so this must come with a team effort."

Jonny didn't answer, but he sighed in frustration. He knew Hadji was right, but he just didn't want to face the facts. It was too difficult for him to accept that he should allow Jessie to face the dangers of life alone. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't. There was another silence, but this time it was more tense than pleasant. Hadji could see the distress returning on Jonny's face and he, too, felt quite disturbed by the whole situation. This whole incident with both Jonny and Jessie had him feeling very uncomfortable, but at least he knew how to keep the situation under control. There was something else that he felt had been going on between the two of them, but he just could not figure it out. It was something... He just couldn't figure it out, but he knew that it was not pleasant.

"Jonny," he called out to his Stepbrother. Jonny reluctantly turned to look at him. "Are there other matters between the two of you that I should know about?"

Giving a look of all too fake confusion, Jonny replied. "Nothing other than what I've already told you."

"Jonny, I am thinking that there is more, something along the lines here as in other problems between you and Jessie. For the past few weeks, I have been noticing some uneasiness in you, and I believe that it has something to do with your relationship with Jessie. You have been keeping this to yourself for quite a long time. It is time to let go of your feelings."

Jonny smirked slightly. "You know me well, Hadj... Maybe too well. Well, where should I start?" He let out a heavy sigh of frustration. 

"Take your time."

They just sat there for a while. Not a word was said for maybe too long and Hadji was beginning to wonder if Jonny was even going to make a brief statement about the trouble he felt. Finally, he forced himself to turn to Hadji and looked him straight in the eye. He was still quite depressed from it all. 

After a deep breath, Jonny spoke. "Jessie makes me feel complete, Hadji. There's nobody alive who I love more than her. I love her so much that it they're no words to describe how or what I feel for her except that it hurts, and you know that I love her more than life itself. I haven't felt this much love and affection from any woman since my Mom died." He sighed heavily before continuing. "It is great being with her, there's no doubt about that, but like many other things there's a down side to our relationship. Sometimes I feel that I'm being smothered by her, and there are other times when she can make me so unbelievably angry."

"Was today a good example of the anger you felt?"

Jonny hesitated. "Not exactly. I was more pissed off at Merrick and Hamilton than Jessie. I won't deny that I was mad at her, but most of it was directed towards those two... you know that." 

"How exactly does she bother you, Jonny?"

"Well, there are times when she can be extremely overprotective. I mean, remember when we went after Maya for what she did to Jessie?" Hadji merely nodded. "Well, during the whole time, she constantly kept a close watch over me. Even when I wasn't at home and out somewhere, she called through the cellular phone every five minutes just to see if I was all right. Now, Hadj, there is one thing to make frequent checks to see if I was okay, but this is going way too far. She gets mad if I do that to her, but she does the same thing with me. If I remembered correctly, we were constantly attending to her when we came back from Cairo. She was so extremely annoyed that she blew up in our faces to leave her alone. Do you remember that? Well, if that's happening with her, then why can't she understand my position, Hadj? It is the same thing!"

"I believe it is because of the love that she has for you. It is so strong that it often drives her to constantly look after you." He smiled. "I believe that is the same case with you when it comes to taking good care of her."

Jonny hunched his shoulders. "True, but I'm not the one who was hospitalized in critical condition twice. She was the one who had two near-death experiences first hand." He sighed heavily. "There is something else, Hadji. She has the tendency to be extremely stubborn and pushy. Take for example when were in Italy. When we were all there, she constantly bossed me around. There were things that I wanted to do, too, but she wouldn't hear of it for the first week we stayed there. She can be so damn stubborn! I'm getting sick of it! Finally, I had to talk to her, even pester her, to persuade her that we were on vacation and I needed to have some things my way, too. That's not the point, though. The point is that it took a lot of convincing and persuading on my part to get her to have some things done my way during our time in Italy. That isn't a fifty-fifty relationship, Hadji. It is more of one person controlling another, and she can be very overbearing." As Hadji sat there absorbing everything that his stepbrother was saying, he was amazed at how many problems the two of them had. True, every couple had their differences and their fights, but Jonny was giving him a deep analysis of all the frustrations he was having with Jessie. This clearly showed that the two of them were having some serious problems. "You gotta give me this much credit, Hadj," Jonny continued. "I've been taking it from her for a very long time, but right about now I'm just about sick of it. If this keeps up, then I'm afraid that the situation will get worse." 

The anger and frustration was now apparent in the tone of his voice. The more of the problems he was revealing to him, the more disturbed he seemed to become. Hadji was clearly stunned by what he was witnessing in this confession. He never imagined that Jonny and Jessie would have this many problems with each other. They always looked so happy and always enjoyed being in each other's company. _Maybe it is because the both of them are suppressing the problems they both feel that are in their relationship. Yes! That is probably it! _"Jonny, I now see how the many problems between the two of you are increasing, but I feel that there is something that I must say regarding the situation today. When you had yelled at Jessie after logging out of Questworld, she did not return your harsh tone. She calmly replied that she was helping you. After you stormed out, she was not angry with you, but she was deeply hurt." As he spoke to Jonny, he could see that he was listening as closely and attentively as he possibly could. "I am not accusing you of anything because I understand that you have tolerated so much from Jessie. However, I must point out that Jessie did not yell back at you and that was, to quite an extent, a sign of maturity. She is older now, Jonny. She is nineteen, and that makes her more understanding. But also, from what she has experience since you both started becoming intimate, she has aged mentally. The reason why she did not become as harsh as you were was because she understood perfectly why you became angry with her for coming into Questworld. She would have been as upset if you had arrived during one of her battles with Francesca. You have to give her this much credit."

Jonny was taken aback by these last few comments Hadji made, and he realized that he was right. Jonny never thought of it this way. He turned his head away from Hadji and leaned back against the back window of the car. As he looked at the beautiful night sky and the stars shining brightly, he began to analyze the entire situation which the both of them have been discussing for the past hour or so. Hadji was waiting for his response patiently. 

Jonny sighed. "Yeah you've got a good point, Hadji. Its just that, I want the both of us to try to work this out. I'm tired of some of the way things are between Jess and I. I just don't know what to do. I don't know how to talk to her about it, and I'm afraid that things would get worse between us if do have a talk with her about it."

"You have to at least give her a chance. You cannot be too sure about that." Hadji said.

Jonny sighed again. "I hope you're right, Hadj."

"You must be patient with her, Jonny. I know that it is not easy, but I know you can resolve the differences between the two of you." Jonny nodded solemnly.

* * *

Jonny and Hadji returned to the Quest Mansion around 7 PM that night. They had Mrs. Evans serve them dinner, then she left for the night. Afterwards, Jonny went up to his room to change into his pajamas. It was getting late and the day had physically and emotionally drained him. As he finished changing. he closed his room's lights, left the door slightly open, and sat on the love seat next to his bed. He was wondering how he was going to face Jessie tonight. Thinking in the dark gave Jonny some peace and comfort whenever he was depressed or hurt about something. From what Hadji had told him, he was not going to have a problem trying to patch things up with her tonight. She had become a lot more patient and understanding. At least, that was what Hadji had told him. 

* * *

__

"CRYSTA ROBERTSON AND JESSICA BANNON AT THE FRONT DOOR." boomed IRIS's voice through the mansion. 

Hadji raced for the door and opened it for his friends. Both Jessie and Crysta's arms were loaded with shopping bags he knew were full of clothes. He smiled at them both. Jessie seemed to be happier, although tired. Crysta grinned and winked at Hadji. A silent signal to say that things were going to get batter from here on out.

"Hey, Hadji, remind me next time to wear cross-trainers when I go shopping with Crysta? She's impossible."

"I didn't hear you complaining when I took you in that ONE store, Chica," Crysta teased.

"For THAT store, no. For the three hours of the others, yes."

Hadji shot a serious glance at Crysta as a signal that he wanted to talk to her privately. Crysta understood. She began loading Jessie's arms with the bags and ushered her towards the stairs. "Why don't you go put the stuff away. We have exams tomorrow and if I know you you're going to want to get a couple hours of studying tonight."

Jessie looked at both her friends in slight confusion. "I'd swear you were trying to get rid of me."

The Brooklyn native laughed. "You're paranoid, Chica. Now, go." and Jessie began to climb the stairs, heading for her room. Crysta turned to Hadji when Jessie disappeared from sight. "Well?"

Hadji had told her about the long conversation he had with Jonny at the cliffs. He told her about all the frustrations Jonny was going through in his relationship with Jessie. The stunned look on Crysta's face was ever present as finished giving her all the details.

"Geez! And I thought what they had was ultimate perfection. He told you all that?"

Hadji nodded. "Every intimate relationship has it's ups and downs. Jonny was suppressing all the anger and frustration that was building up from their relationship. Crysta, you have to give Jonny some credit. He has been trying to maintain a happy, secure relationship with Jessie, but she kept pushing his buttons to the point where he had reached his breaking point. It has taken a long time, but it has now happened."

"I know. And leave it to Jessie to know which buttons to press in him. I just can't believe Blondie managed to keep it hidden for so long. Do you think they'll fix this between them now?"

Hadji sighed. "I am afraid that this matter should be taken with extreme precaution. Jonny's mood is... How shall we say?... _Extremely volatile_. He has calmed down and he now returned to a more rational state, but I am thinking that we should not rush the process. However, we could at least try to have both of them talk again."

* * *

Upstairs, Jessie was finishing putting away her purchases when her mind shifted to her boyfriend. She hesitated putting the rest away, looking through her open door to Jonny's door directly across the hall. It was open just a crack as if in an invitation. She sighed. _You have to get this done sooner or later, and sooner is better_, she reasoned with herself. She left everything behind her and headed out to his room. Jessie just stood there, in front of his door, unsure of weather to push it open or knock first. _You're stalling_, her inner voice chided. Squaring her shoulders in defiance to the voice she gently pushed the door open. His room was dark save for the light of the thin crescent moon filtering through the window. It caught the blond of his tousled hair, catching her attention. He was just sitting there in his pajamas, staring at the floor, in a plush sofa chair. She didn't move, didn't make a sound. Jessie didn't want to disturb whatever deep thoughts he was in. She could only watch. Vaguely she wondered if he even knew she was standing there.

Jonny knew she was there. He could see her fiery red hair even through the dark. Her slender figure was perfectly outlined in the darkness by the moonlight. There was a look of tension and distress on her features as she slowly moved forward. Her breathing was heavy with each step she took. The closer she came towards him, the louder the breathing became. As she stood right in front of him, he slowly reached out his hand and held one of hers.

She squeezed it tight, never wanting to lose this simple physical contact with. She could feel tears burning her eyes in remorse. She knew she wasn't the cause of the fight between them, but she hadn't helped the situation either. Fighting the tears she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she breathed just loud enough so he could hear, her voice catching just a bit.

He wrapped an arm around her waist as he pulled her down to him. Sitting her across his lap, he held her as tight as he could as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. She wept softly and Jonny felt his heart ache at the very sound of it. He hated to see anyone cry, especially those he loved and cared for the most. Especially Jessie. "Jessie, please don't cry," he finally whispered. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one at fault. I'm sorry for what happened in the lighthouse today. I was the one out of line." He caressed her back in comfort while holding her tightly around her waist.

She held him tighter, not wanting him to take the blame. "No." she managed between tears. "I should've known why you didn't tell me what you were going to do there. You always have a good reason for doing anything. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Jess. You were scared for me and that's understandable, but I didn't want you to be there because I didn't want you hurt. I didn't want to lose you. As I said, I should have been more understanding, and I'm very sorry to have taken this out on you."

"I was there because I didn't want to lose _you_. You may not like it, but I'll follow you into danger each and every time. I love you too much."

He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I know. I love you too and that is why I didn't want you to come." He sighed, pausing for a few moments. Finally, he spoke. "Jessie, look at me, Sweetheart."

She pulled back slightly, looking him right into his crystal clear blue eyes. These were the eyes she had lost herself in so many times before. "What is it?" she questioned carefully.

He looked deep into those beautiful emerald eyes and saw the pain he had caused her. "Jessie, I'm really sorry for blowing up on you, but one of the biggest fears that I have is losing the ones I love and care about the most. I already lost Mom."

She held him tight again. "So long as I never lose you, I'll always be at your side... for ever and a day." He gently cupped Jessie's face and carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks. She grinned shortly before a chuckle forced itself from her throat. "Always trying to take care of me." He chuckled with her before lightly kissing her lips.

"Can't help it."

She smirked. "Never could." Then she sighed. "Crysta's still downstairs. Maybe we should go down and _reassure the troops_?" she suggested.

He grinned in agreement and they left the room together, hand in hand. They walked close to each other, shoulder to shoulder, down the corridor, silent. They could hear Hadji and Crysta talking in the other room when the reached the bottom of the stairs. The conversation was about Jessie and Jonny, of course. All conversation stopped when Jessie and Jonny appeared in the doorway. Hadji smiled, pleased that his friends seemed to be on the road to reconciliation. Crysta merely grinned.

"Blondie! PJs! And baggy at that. You know what they say about baggy PJs? They're usually to hide a really big--"

"CRYSTA!" Jessie admonished.

Everyone in the room, but Jessie, roared with wild laughter. "Ego! I was going to say ego, I swear." she grinned like a Cheshire Cat. Jonny chuckled and sat in a sofa chair next to the roaring hearth, gently tugging at Jessie's arm to get her to sit as well. She settled onto his lap comfortably, holding him tight. Jonny wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tightly. He took one of his hands away from her waist and began stroking her hair. Crysta continued to grin. "Must be quite a sensation sitting there, Chica?" she questioned coyly.

"I'm afraid to ask," Jessie smirked.

"Rod and reel comes to mind." she chuckled.

"What?"

"You have the reel, he's the rod." 

Jessie grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it hard in her friend's direction. "You are SO horrible, Crys!"

"You better believe it. Oh, I know such a huge group of ladies who would just be dying to see you in PJs, Blondie. They'd kill to be where I am, and I'm going to kill them by telling them all the gory details of this very moment."

Jonny grinned slyly. "Well, they can fantasize about me all they want, but there is only one girl whose fantasies I'll make a reality. She's the one sitting on my lap." and he lightly kissed the base of Jessie's neck. A shiver raced down Jessie's spine from the admission and the kiss. His touch alone could do this to her. She was _so_ turned on.

Crysta looked at them both for a moment, a wide grin on her face. "Fantasies? Sounds like a Sheherazade or a _Dance of 1000 Veils_ deals. So, you guys mushy sweet?" Her grin became coy. "Or rough?"

Jessie began to blush fiercely, struggling to hide the crimson spreading across her face with her hand. She wasn't sure she knew how, or if she even wanted, to answer her friend. Jonny's grin became very seductive as he answered. "Depends on the occasion or the situation."

Jessie brought her lips close to his ear. "And what does this situation warrant?" she whispered.

"Wait till later tonight. It is a Friday night, you know?" he replied seductively.

"Gives me a chance to make everything up to you," she cooed softly.

He lightly kissed her on the lips. "No, I'm the one who will be making everything up to you."

"We'll just see about that," she whispered playfully menacing.

Crysta had watched the whole silent conversation with a wide smirk. "Hey, d'ya think we could be let in on the conversation?" she question, already knowing the answer.

Jessie laughed. "Not on your life, Crys."

Jonny had a huge grin on his face. "Privacy, Crysta."

The Brooklyn blond pouted with a grin. "Now where's the fun in that?"

Hadji interrupted their humorous interaction. "Ahem! I am very sorry to stop this friendly little debate between the three of you, but we have some more serious matters to discuss."

Crysta stiffened, suddenly going serious. "Oh, right, right. Fire away, Hadji."

He looke eluctant to tell Jessie about the anger and frustrations Jonny has been feeling for quite some time. This was because they were at the brink of exams, and he wanted both of them to concentrating on nothing else till they ended. 

"Through Crysta and Jonny, yes, I know. I'm... not the easiest person to get along with, and I do push his buttons too often. But keep going, Hadj," Jessie encouraged. 

Hadji's eyes met with Jonny's. The two looked at each other with a serious, almost tense, gaze. Both knew that the other could not tell the secrets Jonny revealed. 

"Ever get the feeling we're being left out of some conspiracy?" Crysta grinned.

"We might, but we all have secrets. We shouldn't though, have secrets that is."

Crysta agreed. "It's fun to have them, but it all gets too much."

"The pain, too. They get kind of tiring after a while, carrying all that emotional weight around. I want everything out in the open, once and for all. No more secrets."

Hadji gazed directly into Jessie's eyes with such a serious look that it even shocked Jonny. "I am sorry, but the wishes of Dr. Quest and your father takes precedence over yours. They both made it clear to me that they want the both of you to concentrate on your exams and nothing else. Exams are next week, and you are to concentrate on nothing else until they are over. However, I will give you both some advice which the both of you must seriously consider." Hadji paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. Jessie and Jonny became solemn, understanding that the moment they would be alone with their fathers they would have to tell them the full extent of their relationship. Crysta merely sat by, silent, listening to every word that would follow to someday put it to use on her own. Looking at the two young lovers closely, Hadji began using his words carefully. "Every relationship has it's days of virtue and happiness, but it also has it's frustration and pain. A relationship that is based on passion alone will eventually self-destruct, pardon me for being so direct, and it will come to a very unpleasant end. Now today I have learned a lot about the problems involving your relationship. Fortunately, these are problems which can be solved. You must solve them through complete open and honest communication and the both of you must give each other some leeway. A relationship between couples is based on love, honesty, respect, even courtesy and compromise. The both of you have to give each other all of that." He paused for a moment as if in hesitation. "Both of you must select a time, after the exams, where there will be no distractions or interruptions. Again it must be done after the exams. You cannot do this before the exams because this is something which will require a lot of concentration, effort, time, and understanding in order to solve the differences between you. Now is definitely not the time. Crysta is my witness, I want the both of you to promise me that you will not mention a word about the problems within your relationship to each other, or anyone else, until the exams are over."

The young lovers had a long pause, mulling over what Hadji had just said. They looked at each other for the briefest moment before turning back to the young Sultan. ""We promise."" they said in unison.

"And not to worry, Hadj." Crysta piped up. "I`ll make sure the subject never comes up while they`re at school."

Hadji smiled. "I was about to turn to you just for that reason. Also, if other people are going to be discussing your relationship during school, then reveal positive information. Other than that, please do not discuss your relationship amongst yourselves until the exams are complete."

Crysta had to grin from a sudden though. "Ooo, propaganda! Love it!! But I don't think anyone will say anything. Blondie and Chica are so close most of the time that no one will really pay attention. Except maybe Craig and Ktrisha. They're always looking for a crack in the armor, so to speak. I'll run damage control with those two."

"I really don't think that will be necessary, Crysta. Those two really won't know the difference," Jonny said.

"Who are Craig and Ktrisha?" Hadji asked in wonderment.

Crysta sighed heavily. "Craig Waller is a snobby rich boy who's been after Jess since he first laid eyes on her. Ktrisha Aubry is one of Maya's many followers infatuated with Blondie here. They are both so clueless. Craig thinks that if he lays the charm on thick enough Jess'll start going out with him and Ktrisha thinks that if she pulls out all her sex appeal Jonny will start chasing her. Very vicious little circle here."

Jonny shrugged and said. "As long as the both of them don't do anything that could cause serious trouble I'm not worried about it. As I said, Crys, I don't think we should even give them a hint that something happened today. We'll just go about our business and let those two fools sulk about us all they want to." He grinned menacingly. "Besides, I kinda enjoy watching those two get pissed off for seeing us together."

Jessie brought her lips close to Jonny's ear again. "Make me want you all the more." she whispered seductively.

He grinned and, in turn, brought his lips close to her ear and replied just as seductively. "Likewise and we have tonight to prove it." He moved his head towards her neck again and kissed it gently.

She shivered pleasantly, holding him tight. "Did we really have a fight?" she mused softly.

"Hey, Hadj, have we somehow become invisible after all this?" Crysta suddenly quipped, surprising the young duo.

"Sorry, guys." Jessie apologized. "Our fights may be vicious, but I guess you could say they're in direct proportion to our make ups."

Crysta grinned menacingly. "Aha! Then that gives me the exact idea of just how far gone you two are." The entire group had to laugh.

Finally, Hadji spoke. "Even though the two of you are back to pleasant terms, just remember that you must discuss the problems between the both of you _after_ the exams."

Jessie smirked. "How can we forget that when you keep drilling it into us. Remember, the only one who needs pushing to study is Bleach Head here." and she ruffled Jonny`s hair affectionately.

"And speaking of drilling, since exams are next week, you have to do some studying tonight," Hadji ordered.

Jonny let out a huge sigh of exasperation. "Aw, come on! Hadj!"

"No, Hadji's right, Hot Shot." Jessie added. "If I remember right, you told me you were have trouble in Physics class. At least get an hour, or so, of studying done." She lowered her voice, a seductive gleam in her eyes. "Then we can _play_."

"That reminds me." Crysta voiced, not having heard the last bit of the conversation. "I have Calculus gathering dust on my desk back home. Its been fun, kids." and she made a quick dash for the door to her car, followed by the good-byes of her friends.

Jessie and Hadji stood outside the door, watching the car pull away from the house, while Jonny stayed just within the door out of the cold. Guilt and some repressed anger still haunted his soul from earlier that day. He looked at Jessie and his heart began to ache. He leaned back hard on the entrance way wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He had hurt her emotionally, a scar that wouldn't heal easily... if it ever did at all. He knew she was putting up a brave front not to worry anyone. It was a good thing her back was to him or she would have seen the look of anguish that crossed his features. Then she turned to follow Hadji back into the house. Jonny forced a grin at them both, but Hadji knew better. He clapped his Stepbrother's shoulder giving him a look that said things would get better. Then he left.

Jessie stopped in front of Jonny, hugging her own sides slightly, staring at the carpeted floor. Neither said a word. The moment that had been so tender before had suddenly turned to a deep tension. They were unsure, quiet. All the things they had promised, all the words they had said, felt hollow, unreal all of a sudden. Had there really been feelings behind the words or had they been said out of habit? This had been their first, major, face-to-face fight since becoming lovers. She took her eyes away from the floor and looked at his downcast eyes. She could see the hurt he felt. She didn't know what to do. Carefully, hesitantly, she reach out a hand and pressed it to his cheek. A shaky sigh escaped his lips as his eyes closed. Jonny tuned his face into the palm of her hand, relishing this simple touch from her. Who knew when it would next happen after this? Tears touched Jessie's eyes as she moved closer to him. Timidly she kissed the corner of his mouth. Their eyes met when she pulled away.

She swallowed hard to push down the painful lump forming in her throat. "For everything I did, Jonny, I'm sorry." she voice in a bare whisper. Then, after a moment, she headed for the stairs.

"Jessie." he called, his voice sounding close. She turned to find he had followed her, now standing close to her. Their eyes met boldly. "It's not your fault." he told her gently.

"Then whose fault is it?"

"I don't know." he sighed at a loss.

There was another long, awkward pause. "What do we do now?" she finally thought to ask.

"Take Hadji's advice, I guess, and leave this topic until after the exams. He's right, you know."

The barest of grins tugged the corners of her lips. "Yeah, I know." The grin suddenly grew wider. "Annoying, isn't it?"

Jonny chuckled. "Yeah, it is." and they laughed together, softly. He smiled at her after a moment. "Help me with my Physics?"

She willingly returned the smile, glad to have found some neutral territory and an excuse to stay with him. "Sure. And if that doesn't work we can always try the osmosis thing again." and she laughed, beginning to climb the stairs.

He had to laugh, following her up. "You're a cruel woman, Jess."

They headed for his room, went in, and closed the door. Jonny sat Lotus-style on the foot of his bed while Jessie lounged back against the pillows propped up against the head of the bed. Long into the night he helped her by getting her Chemistry textbook and notes and quizzing her on creation rules, ionic and covalent bonds, and the mass calculation of moles. She, in turn, helped him understand Velocity and Gravity theories and quizzed him on Universal Constants and Energy/Mass relations.

Jonny suddenly wailed dramatically, flopping to his back. "I'm going to fail my exam!"

She chuckled at his antics. "No, you won't. It's easy if you stick to it."

"Right. This coming from the woman who averages a four point oh without even trying."

She nudged his side with her toes, causing him to twitch from her contact to a ticklish spot. "Don't sell yourself short, Hot Shot. How many guys in your shoes would be able to keep a three point eight four average four years straight?"

"Yeah, guess you're right." he muttered in a sigh. "I just can't seem to get this stuff to sink in."

"Well you have the entire weekend to get it to sink in. That should be more than enough time, even for you."

He rolled to his side again, facing her, and opened his mouth to say some witty in reply. He stopped and closed his mouth. He was just so awe struck at that moment. She was smiling softly, her incredible emerald eyes fixed on the textbook pages in her lap. The lamp on his night stand cast a soft yellow glow on her skin, catching the fires of her hair. Her moist lips seemed to glisten. His heart pounded from the sight. She felt his stare and looked up, immediately locking eyes with the azure of his. He grinned at her.

"What?" she asked, mildly confused.

"Nah, it's nothing." he admonished, beginning to turn away.

She closed the textbook to concentrate on him. "No, really, tell me."

He paused, then sighed heavily. He sat at the foot of the bed, his back to her. "I was just thinking, seeing you there, if we'd ever get the chance to pick up where we left off before this whole mess started."

"What we were talking about in the car?"

"Yeah. Wishful thinking, isn't it?" Jonny heard the rustle of fabric and assumed she shifted slightly since the bed moved as well. He felt her move closer to him, pressing herself to his back. 

"Not that wishful." There was a pause. "I'm sorry." she breathed softly.

He shook his head with a small chuckle. "I told you before, Jess, it's not your fault. It's mine."

"Well I'm certainly not letting you take the blame." She suddenly sighed. "Tell you what, on three, _I forgive you_." He nodded. "One... Two... Three..."

""I forgive you."" they said in unison.

Both sighed heavily in relief. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Jessie leaned her chin on his shoulder. She could smell the lingering odor of his aftershave and she breathed in deeply to keep it with her. They stayed this way for a moment, silent, before she finally frowned. His shoulders felt stiff, painfully so most likely. 

"You're tense." she voiced.

"Must be the exams. I was never good at managing stress."

"Yeah, right." she chuckled sarcastically. "You can handle a killer adventure without a problem, but exams do this? Here, let me help." and she began to knead the muscles in his shoulders. He groaned a sigh as he seemed to melt under her hands. "Better?" she asked.

He smiled. "Mmm. Much."

"I could do a much better if you took off your shirt and lay down on your stomach." There was a smile in her voice as she told him this.

He chuckled as he shrugged out of his pyjama's shirt. "Talk about ulterior motives." When he began the move to turn onto his stomach at the head of his bed he caught sight of a bundle on the ground next to it. He frowned, curious, and reached down to it. It was a sweater and a pair of jeans. "What the...?" Jonny whirled around to face Jessie at a sudden thought. He couldn't stop the wide, surprised grin that crossed his face at the sight. She wore a green velvet nightie bordered in black lining. The thin straps on her shoulders were also black, as well as the lacing down her bodice to just below her navel. She was breathtaking. He propped himself up on his pillows almost casually and drank her in with a look halfway between passion and hunger. "Something you bought?"

"One of many." she cooed with seductive grin. "You like?"

He grinned lopsidedly. "On you, very much so, though I think I'd like it better in a pile on the floor." This caused her to giggle. "One of many, you say? Will I get to see the others?"

Jessie leaned in towards him. "Only if you behave." she breathed.

His fingers traced the length of her throat ever so gently. She moved closer still until her cheek rested on his heart. He sighed blissfully as he ran his fingers through her long fiery hair, holding her body close to his own. Jessie could hear the rhythmic pounding of his heart, a sound so soothing she felt the world could end but she would be safe so long as she heard his heart.

"Behaving is not something I'm terribly good at." he grinned into her hair. She chuckled softly, placing a gentle kiss on his chest before sighing. He looked down at her at the sadness he heard in the sigh. "What is it?"

She paused. "I want things back the way they were before this whole mess." She raised up to look in his eyes. "I want what we had back, where we weren't afraid to do or say something wrong because we didn't think it was possible."

"I'd say this is a pretty good start to getting back there." he grinned. Then he suddenly went serious, his love for her still shining in his eyes. "The moment will come back someday, Love. We just have to work it out."

"And until then?"

Jonny's grin became seductive, his tone of voice gruff as he toyed with the lacing of her bodice. "Until then, Pretty Lady, we take advantage of every moment that comes our way."

"Is this one of those moments, Lover?" she questioned coyly.

He tenderly cupped her face between his hands, pulling her towards himself. She felt his breath against her lips and shivered pleasantly in response. "What do you think?" 

"I think I want you to make love to me." she breathed with a grin.

"Your wish is my command, My Lady." and he lightly tasted her lips.

The kiss was so gently, so light, it made her heart ache pleasantly. After a minute or so of letting him give her feather light kisses she began to return the tender embrace, lightly at first, then with more heat as his ministrations began to take effect. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself close. His worshiping hands traveled from her face to her shoulders, down her sides to just below her breasts. Jonny pulled her down next to himself, caressing her curves, never once leaving her lips. He began to tease her lips with his own, driving her wild. His fingers tugged at the laces of her bodice, gently easing the material away from the swell of her breast. His mouth left her lips to travel down the length of her throat to one of her exposed breasts. She cried out in pleasant shock when his warm mouth closed over the pebble hard nipple. 

As he suckled from one nipple to the other her hands slid down the length of his chest to the hard bulge in his pyjama pants, caressing it gently, urgently. Jonny wanted to make love to her so much it was taking everything he had to hold himself back. He wanted to make the moment last, to nter. She arched up, a moan escaping her lips.

"Jonny..." she called out in barely a whisper.

He raised up to claim her lips, Jessie tasting her own salt on his mouth. It was thrilling. She was so ready for him she felt as if she was going to explode. She was mildly aware of him reaching towards his night stand, but she was aware that she grabbed that arm to stop him and pulled it away before he could do whatever he was going to do. Jonny seemed to hesitate at this. She was nearly blinded by her want for him. Her eyes half closed and glazed in arousal Jessie reach down and took hold of his stiff member, pulling him towards herself, guiding him into herself. The sound of his groan of pleasure excited her even more. 

He made love to her so slowly, so tenderly, that it drove her to near madness. Jonny wanted to make this moment last as long as possible, wanted control, make her feel every exquisite sensation and delicious shiver. He gritted his teeth, fighting his own urges, making every thrust languidly slow. She clung to him as best she could as she writhed in sheer pleasure, her finger nails drawing strange patterns and hieroglyphs on his back. Jessie moaned and panted bits of phrases, pleading at times, encouraging at others. Her hands roamed freely everywhere on his body. The control he tried so hard to maintain was finally lost. He matched the rhythm of her hips, rocking ever faster and harder as she asked it breathlessly. An intense sensation suddenly flooded over them, a feeling like water with an electrical current running through it. They climaxed together, Jonny biting his lower lip hard, Jessie crying out in complete abandonment. Then, it was over.

Drained and exhausted they just lay there, breathing heavily. His lips were just barely touching the base of her neck, blowing warm air on her skin with each breath. She kept her limbs wrapped around him, to keep him inside herself, even when he rolled onto his side. Jonny cradled her close, caressing every soft curve of her body. She smiled, nestling her head under his chin, her cheek pressed to his warm skin, enjoying the all familiar and comforting intimacy they shared.

"That was _amazing_." she sighed blissfully.

He chuckled. "My way of apologizing for earlier today."

Jessie began to giggle suddenly. "If that's how you apologize to me then we should have fights more often. Do you know how much I love you, Jonny?"

"I got a pretty good idea a little while ago, Jess." A smile was in his voice.

She had to smile. "Well, I feel the need to tell you." Her expression went serious as she traced light patterns on his chest. "I love you so much it actually hurts when we're not together."

"I thought I was the only one to feel that." he admitted into her hair. "What do we do?"

She paused, collecting her thoughts. "We wait. We feel our way through. And we love for every second we have."

"You make it sound like it's all ending."

Jessie's arms tightened around him possessively. "Oh God, I hope not. I don't want it to."

Jonny's hold tightened as well. "Neither do I. I love you, Jessie."

"I love you, Jonny."

* * *

"Ow! Hey! Watch it with that stuff!"

"Oh, how the mighty fighter whines. It would hurt less if you stopped squirming so much, Race." Marie chided with a chuckle as she dabbed cuts and scratches with iodine. Benton tried not to laugh from across the kitchen. 

Race shot him a hard stare. "Don't you start, Doc." he warned.

Struggling to keep a straight face Doctor Quest put his hands up in surrender. "I wouldn't dream of it." he managed before the laughter won out. Marie also got caught up in the laughter. "I think I'll do a comparative study showing how the most macho acting individuals are the ones who make the worst patients. Race, you can be the prime subject." This made Marie laugh even harder.

Race leapt to his feet. "Watch it, Doc. I understood that. An' I just have one thing to say to you about that." Benton and Marie fell silent, afraid their joke had gone too far. Suddenly a smile cracked Race's stoic demeanor from ear to ear. "I just better damn well be paid double."

Relieved, the two scientists began to chuckle. "Triple, Old Friend." Benton replied.

The ex-covert operations officer pretended to mull it over in his mind. "I can go with that."

"If that's settled then, sit down." Marie ordered Race, giving him a slight shove.

He did as told, knowing better than to argue with a French Canadian woman, and she resumed her work cleaning and disinfecting his injuries. He winced, but didn't complain this time. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "What time is it, Benton?"

Doctor Quest glanced down at his watch. "Almost four in the morning." He sighed heavily. "A night wasted."

"Four AM? That means it's about nine for the kids in Maine. Hadji should be up already."

"Knowing Hadji he was probably up at the crack of dawn. Earlier if there was trouble." He picked up his cell phone and, with the press of a button, dialed the Quest Compound's private secure line.

Then, after four rings, _"Hello? Quest residence."_

"Good morning, Hadji."

__

"Doctor Quest?" 

"Yes. How is everything?"

__

"Calm, now. We had an attack through Questworld. The Lighthouse computers were completely destroyed, but we are... fine." 

Benton caught the hesitation. "Hadji..."

__

"It is alright, that problem was solved for now... I hope. It was an argument between Jessie and Jonny, but they have resolved it. Did you call to check up on us?" There was a smile in his voice.

"That, and to know if you could possibly tear yourself away from fixing the Questworld systems and fly down here in one of the planes? We've decided to attack this virus from the technical angle, but we need our own computer expert here. Or, in this case, one of three."

__

"Of course. I can be there, counting refueling time in Edmonton, perhaps six hours from now." 

"That would be perfect, Hadji. And you can tell us everything that happened then. See you in six hours, Son." and he hung up.

Race was looking at him expectantly as Benton set the phone down on the counter. Benton waved off the concern in his friend's eyes. "Hadji will explain it more in detail when he arrives, but it seems the lab here wasn't the only target Julia attacked. Questworld is off line."

"Are the kids alright?"

"Yes. As I said, Hadji will explain everything in more detail when he arrives."

Race smirked. "You know that makes me worry."

This caused Benton to chuckle. "Same here, Old Friend. I would say that falls well within the norm."

* * *

"Lorenzo, you _idiot_!" Julia screamed, striking the cringing man across the face. "It was a simple job. You, thirty men, guns, them, scattered guards, holed up in a lab, you shoot, you kill everyone, you leave, end of story. Even _you_ couldn't botch that up, but somehow you managed to screw it up. _And royally!_ Not only that, but you bring back Stanton half dead!"

"It wasn't my fault, Julia!" he tried lamely. "Quest took us completely by surprise with some new gadget and then Bannon came out for a charge and Stanton disappeared from sight and--"

"_Enough!_ Act your age, Lorenzo."

A chuckle could be heard from a corner of the room. "Tsk, tsk. Never send a _boy_ to do a _man_'s job."

Julia looked up to see a grinning Kyle leaning against a table edge, Francesca tucked close to his side. They had been doing this a lot in the past day, hand holding, hugging, stolen kisses. Julia frowned. Emotions like that usually got in the way of rational thought.

"You think you can do better, Merrick?" she spat.

"Loads better. You see, your mistake was trying to go after Quest Senior. Where he is he figures he has nothing to lose. No, you have to go after his one weakness. His only, beloved Son."

Her frown grew deeper. "The boy?"

"Yes. Kidnap him, his attention shifts from the virus and the computers to getting his Son back. Kill him, and the old man falls to pieces."

__

"I like that idea." came Surd's voice from the shadows. The all turned to him as he wheeled in. _"Yes, Doctor Quest loves that boy more than his own life. It's his only memory of his dear departed wife. But, tell me, Merrick. How do you plan to do this?"_

"Just give me a fueled plane and about a day, and I can fix it so _Lizard Boy_ is out of the picture."

Surd looked at him hard for a moment. _"Done. Lorenzo, prepare the plane. Young Merrick is about to make our lives so much easier."_

* * *

Jonny woke to a weight high on his chest and a wet tongue licking madly at his face. A distinctive whining accompanied this. He winced, turning his head, swatting the offender away. 

"Ugh! Bandit, enough!" he groaned softly, pushing the small dogs face away from his own. "You know, I really need to do something about your breath, boy." 

Bandit merely cocked his head, tongue lolling out, seemingly grinning at him. 

"And you have no idea what I'm saying, do you? No offense taken." 

Bandit looked over to Jonny's right and shut his mouth. The little dog looked puzzled. Jonny looked too and smiled. Jessie was facing away from him, the covers just barely over her hip, still asleep. He chuckled softly.

"Get used to it, boy. This might be a regular occurrence sometime in the future." and he scratched him behind the ear.

There was a light knocking at the door. Jonny could barely make out Hadji standing in the hall there, looking slightly nervous. "Is it safe?" Hadji asked.

"Shh!" Jonny hissed, gently pulling the blankets up to cover Jessie's naked form as Bandit moved to lie at the foot of the bed. "Yes, c'mon in."

As silent as a cat Hadji entered the room and brought the chair from the desk to the bedside, straddling it. He was grinning at the sight of his Brother and Jessie in the same bed. "So, I see you and Jessie have made up." he whispered not to wake the still sleeping Jessie.

Jonny shrugged with a grin. "Make up, make out. All the same to me when it comes to Jess. What's up?"

He chuckled softly before answering. "Father just called. It seems he found a different plan of attack for the virus in British Columbia. I believe he will try to repair the computers first."

"Makes sense. Fix the computers and then use them to find a cure. But... why would Dad call just to tell us that?"

"Because I am leaving to join him and Race immediately. He needs one of us there to help, and seeing as I am the only one not presently engaged in studies for midterms, I was the logical choice."

Jonny suddenly smirked. "Spock." he accused.

Hadji chuckled softly. "Perhaps. Do you believe you two will be alright?"

"Sure. Studying and fixing Questworld will keep us busy enough for the weekend. We'll see you in a week then."

"Indeed." and he stood. "Give my best to Jessie when she wakes."

"Will do, buddy. Safe trip." and Hadji left the room, closing the door just enough to allow Bandit to leave if he wanted.

Jonny lay there for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, listening to the thick silence until he heard the house's front door open then close. Hadji was gone. He turned his head to the back of Jessie's head, her flame red hair glowing in the morning light. With a blissful grin he rolled over to mold himself to her back, an arm wrapped around her waist. He heard her inhale deeply when he kissed the side of her neck. She pressed back against him, turning slightly to smile at him.

"'Morning, Jess." he greeted softly with a lopsided grin.

"Morning, Lover. What time is it?"

"Almost ten."

"Mmm, still too early." she mumbled as she turned completely, wrapping her arms around his torso, nestling her head under his chin. "I don't want to get up."

"You don't have to." he offered, the smile all too clear in his voice.

She chuckled. "Much as I'd love to stay... but Hadji will need us in the Lighthouse soon to help him fix the Questworld system."

"No, he won't. He's flying up to BC in a bit. He just left the house."

She pulled back slightly in shock. "What? Why?"

"No, it's okay, Jess. Dad just needs him to fix the computer systems over there."

Jessie looked skeptical. "You sure?"

"That's what Hadji told me."

"When did he have the time to tell you all this?"

Jonny grinned, looking down at her, his cheek resting on his knuckles. "Would you believe an hour ago? Don't worry, he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to. Besides, you looked like you were sleeping so well."

She smiled. "That I was. I always seem to when you're sleeping next to me."

He smirked as he toyed with the sparkling green locket at her throat. "You know from where that dates back."

She touched his locket, a reminiscent smile on her lips. "Seems so long ago." His hand closed over hers, bringing her fingers to his lips ever so tenderly. Her smile became coy. "So, what are your plans for today?"

He chuckled as he rolled to his back again. "Well, after last night, I was just going to lie here and hold you and never let go."

"I like the sound of that." Jessie grinned, propping her chin on his chest. The glinting of foil on his night stand suddenly caught her eye. She looked and her smile fell away as she raised her head up. "Jonny, I thought... I mean, didn't we..." She couldn't finish her sentence, merely indicating the untouched condom packet on the night stand.

"Uh... You were, um, kind of insistent last night. It was safe, right? I mean, you said you had birth control... right?"

"Yes, I just thought..." She shook her head and smiled at him. "Forget about it. Why ruin the moment."

"And what moment would that be, Ace?" he grinned playfully.

She laughed softly. "Are you aiming to get started?"

"Oh, you bet!" he laughed. "But like you said, we have work to do in the Lighthouse."

She sighed heavily. "Remind me to write Surd a bill for all the damage he's caused."

"Think he has enough money to pay for all that?" he snickered.

"I don't think anyone in the world has enough money to do that." she laughed. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her ear to his heart. "I don't want to get up just now. But Questworld won't fix itself." she groaned as she flopped to her back.

Jonny reached down to the floor where his pyjama lay in a heap. "Wouldn't it be great if it could?"

"A project to work on for a rainy day." was her reply.

Under the cover of his blankets he managed to get his pyjama pants on. Then he stood and stretched his arms high above his head, waking further. He turned to Jessie who hadn't moved, her eyes once again closed. "Up and at 'em, Jess."

"You go. I'm just going to stay here. Too comfortable."

He chuckled as he started for the door, putting on his pyjama top as he went. "C'mon, Jess. Mrs. Evans is probably already downstairs waiting." He stopped at the door to lean back on it and look at her. "If we're not down there soon she'll come hunting for us and I can just imagine her reaction to finding you here like that."

She smirked a small frown, arching an eyebrow to him. "Like what?" she probed playfully.

Jonny gave her a good long look, grinning lopsidedly, before pushing off the wall and walking towards her. "Naked. Beautiful." He leaned down towards her, his hands at either of her head, his grin becoming sly. "Aroused."

Jessie giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "_Very_ aroused." 

Their lips met in a deep, searching embrace before Jonny pulled back just enough so their lips would still brush. "You really should get up." he breathed.

"What if I don't want to?" she pouted.

He pulled back to looked down at her with a menacing grin. "Then I'll just leave you to explain just what you're doing here like this to Mrs. Evans when she walks in. Something she'll immediately tell your Dad."

"That's blackmail, Quest." she chuckled.

His expression went serious. "He's going to find out about us when all this is over anyway. Better if it comes from us."

She frowned at this. "You're planning on telling him?"

"Kind of have to. Dad knows." he admitted.

Shock passed over her features, her eyes going wide. "How...?"

"Long story. I'll explain it to you when we fly up in a week. One of many things we have to talk about."

"I'll want all the details."

"And I promise to give them. Now, get up, get dressed. We have work to do today."

* * *

Hadji walked across the snow-free tarmac of the airport towards a large hanger. On the side of this building was a large stylized Q, Quest Technology Enterprise's company logo. He could see a number of men working in and out of the hanger in their orange jackets and caps, typical airport personnel clothes. 

One man, his hair graying around his temple area, approached Hadji with a broad smile. "Plane's all ready and fueled up, Your Sultan-ship." he greeted with a salute.

Hadji chuckled. "I have told you before, Marcus. Call me Hadji. What of the second plane? Jonny and Jessie will be taking that one at the end of the week."

"All serviced and fueled, Mister Hadji, sir. Had my new mechanic pr l Mike gets better."

"Well, if you believe you can trust him--"

"Oh, now, I never said that, Mister Hadji, sir. He can get the work done, that's fine. Do I trust him? There's a different story."

"Then keep an eye on him. We can have Doctor Quest do a more thorough investigation of this man when we return. Satisfactory?"

"Very much so, Mister Hadji. You have a safe trip now."

"I will, Marcus." and he shook the old man's hand firmly. 

Hadji then boarded the small Cessna, performed all the necessary checks as he taxied out of the hanger to the runway, and then was off. Marcus watched the plane disappear into the sky as one of crew hands walked out of the hanger, his hat pulled down low to hide his eyes.

"You better have that second plane in tip top condition by the end of the week, K.C." 

"It'll be ready, boss." 

"Good. The Boss's kid will be using that one. It has to be ready for him when he comes." And to that Marcus walked away. 

The man pushed the hat up slightly to reveal a pair of piercing grey eyes and an evil looking smile. "Oh yeah. It'll be ready for _Lizard Boy_." he sneered.

* * *

The Lighthouse computer lab was a horrible mess. Burnt wires and circuitry lay strewn all over the floor, face plates to processing units were hanging by their hinges, all carbon scored. Next to an open panel lay a large tool chest with it's pieces thrown about it haphazardly. Jonny was nearly completely through the panel, checking the circuits and circuit boards. He was taking inventory of the damage, with Jessie taking notes on her laptop not far away.

With a grunt Jonny yanked a circuit board out of it's slot and looked at it with slight tired frustration. "Slave motherboard, QTE designed Pentium III. Resistors, melted. Ceramic chip, cracked. Another one good for the recycling bin." and he tossed it aside. "How many does that make so far?"

"Six video cards, four sound cards, twelve slaved motherboards, five hard drives, and two hundred thirty four 32 Meg SIMMs. You want a monetary total too?" she sighed.

"No, I think I can guess. Good thing this is going on the company account. God, what a mess."

"We're not fixing it all today, are we?"

"Not with the exams on Monday. Let's say we work on this until Mrs. Evans calls us in for supper, then we'll study the rest of that day."

Jessie smirked. "That unusually intelligent of you."

Jonny chuckled as he reached further into the entrails of the large computer. "I just want to see if I can get a higher exam average than you."

Her smile grew wider. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

"Just getting back to basics." he shot back, a smile in his voice.

She had to laugh, looking at her watch. "And you decide this an hour before supper."

He jerked in surprise, banging his head on a circuit shelf inside the panel. He cursed and emerged from the opening, rubbing his head, then looked at Jessie. "You mean we've been at his for eight hours?"

"Time flies when you're concentrating on a job at hand." She saw him look at his fingers, at the touch of blood on them. "Let me have a look at that." and she held her hand out to him. She pulled him to his feet and steered him towards one of the chairs. Carefully she parted his hair around the injury. "You're lucky you have such a hard head. It's not deep."

"Lucky me." he groaned sarcastically.

"Don't move." She retrieved the lab's first aid kit and gently applied a piece of gauze moistened with disinfectant to the cut. He hissed from the stinging. "Sorry." she apologized, lightening her touch. "Maybe we should take this last hour as a break."

He nodded. "It'll give me a chance to nurse this bump. That's what I get from poking around inside a computer with too many sharp edges."

"Better a circuit board than a knife." Jessie stated as she put the kit away.

"Good point." He put on his coat and helped Jessie on with hers.

She looked at the room before leaving. "Should we really leave this mess without at least trying to clean it up?"

He gave the room a once over before shaking his head. "This will wait. Besides, we have a week to clean it up." and he ushered her out of the lab into the cold early evening air. He kept an arms wrapped around her waist. After their fight he didn't want her to be away from his side for a moment. "If we finish the inventory tomorrow I can put in a request for the replacement parts at QTE and have them by Wednesday. From there we'll be finished fixing the system by Thursday."

"Does that count studying time?" She smirked suddenly. "Or are you just anxious to get a rematch with Merrick?"

He frowned. "Do you even have to ask that?"

"Hey, cheer up, will you. We'll get that rematch, only this time it'll be on our terms."

Jonny looked at her suddenly, stopping halfway to the house. "Jess, I don't want you there this time."

She stopped to turn to him. "Jonny, we've gone through this last night. I'm going in with you whether you like it or not." and she turned to continue walking.

He took her arm to stop her, forcing her to face him. "I _don't_ like it. Jess, this is personal between Merrick and myself. I want to end this whole mess once and for all and if I can do this without the risk of you getting hurt then I will. Besides, I need someone to match the coding of whoever it is they have at the other end." He gently cupped her face between his hands. "Please, until this is over, promise me you'll stay out of this fight." She looked him in the eye for a moment before lowering her eyes in defeat, nodding silently. He wrapped his arms around her waist, one hand pressed between her shoulder blades, to press her tight against his chest. "Thank you, my Love." he breathed into her hair.

She clung to him tightly. "Just don't you get yourself killed."

He smiled gently. "I promise." and they continued into the house.

A sudden thought hit her as Jonny helped her off with her coat. "You go on ahead and see what Mrs. Evans is cooking. I have to go check on something." She headed for the stairs up to her room. _Did I or didn't I?_ came her questioning thought. Jessie entered her room and went straight for her night stand's drawer, opening it. She froze, staring inside it. There was the small pink disk with the tiny colored circles around the edge. Each had a letter of the week above it. From Saturday's S to Tuesday's T, the slots were empty, but where the slots should have been empty the days following Tuesday the slots still contained their contents. A look of dread crossed her features as she sat heavily on the edge of her bed. _Oh, God! I didn't take them!_ She thought back on the last two days in utter dread. The chance was there, a chance she didn't want to happen.

Not yet.

__

Please, God, don't let me be-- 

"Jess?" Her head snapped up in surprise to find Jonny standing in her doorway. "You okay?"

"Um... Yeah." She quickly closed the drawer and stood in front of it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He looked unconvinced, but thankfully didn't press the subject. "Mrs. Evans says dinner's just about ready and Crysta just called. She's coming over with Todd to study with us."

Jessie smirked as they began walking back to the stairs. "She's probably coming over to check up on us."

He chuckled. "Probably. So, what was in the drawer?"

Inwardly she winced, but smiled enigmatically at him. "Ask me again someday."

* * *

"So what do you think, Hadji?" Doctor Quest asked after a long moment.

Hadji rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the complex jumble of coding scrolling on the computer screen before him. Since he had arrived two hours earlier he had been immersed in computer terminology and technology, trying to find a way to purge the systems of this virus or find a way to circumvent it.

"I recognize certain fragments of this virus by the way it is attacking the system, but the rest is new to me. Is there a downloaded version on diskette?" he asked, turning to the other computer specialists assembled.

These three men simply looked at each other, confused and more than a little embarrassed. "We... never thought about doing that." one admitted sheepishly.

"Obviously." Hadji muttered as he picked up a CD and popped it into the CD burner. 

Doctor Quest had the hardest time trying to hide his grin from the indignant looks from the so-called computer experts assembled. With a few quick and practiced key strokes the CD burner whirred to life as the information was burned onto the CD. Then, pulling out his laptop, Hadji inserted the CD in the CD ROM and called up the virus in text version. Complex coding in DOS script scrolled on the screen. He stared hard at the screen with Doctor Quest and the three computer technicians looking over his shoulder. 

One of the technicians shook his head in awe. "Michelangelo, Jumper B, all this is DOD material... This Julia lady did her homework and managed to incorporate all the major computer viruses into one with only a few nasty additions of her own."

"Do not disillusion yourself, sir." Hadji began with a frown. "Julia is far from being a lady."

"So, do we attack each individual component?"

Hadji shook his head. "Each component will _cover_ for the others that are attacked and will activate, causing even more trouble than now. No, we have to purge the systems of the virus as a whole somehow. And the sooner the better. The more time we spend on this the higher the death toll will reach."

* * *

Crysta tapped her pencil on the pad of paper before her, mainly at the equation scribbled on it. She frowned at it in frustration for a moment more before leaning back in her chair. She looked across the magnificent oak table in the Quest Mansion's library to Jonny who was busy scribbling away in his notebook.

"Hey, Blondie?" He looked up at her question. "Question thirty two, I got forty five miles per second."

Jonny flipped a few pages back and scanned for the question. "Umm..." He frowned, confused. "How'd you get forty five? I got ninety two."

"No, I really think it's supposed to be forty five."

"I don't think so. Jess?" Jessie, who was sitting at his right, turned to him. "Arbitrate?" and he handed her his notebook.

She grinned, amused, looked it over quickly, then took Crysta's to check over as well. "Sorry, Crysta. Jonny's right on this one. It's supposed to be ninety two."

"Aw man!" she wailed.

"Hey, how about we take a break." Todd stated, speaking for the first time in hours. He was seated at Crysta's left. "What time is it anyway?"

Jonny stretched tiredly, trying to work the kinks from his neck. "Almost midnight. We probably didn't notice time fly since Mrs. Evans brought us that snack tray and never came back for it. She's probably gone by now." Seeing him rub the back of his neck in slight pain, Jessie came to sit on his chair's armrest and carefully began to work the stiffness from his shoulders. Jonny closed his eyes with a relieved groan, leaning back against her. "God, Jess, you have no idea how good that feels." he breathed.

She chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "You can return the favor later tonight." she breathed in his ear. "It was the least I could do, you were just so stiff." she finished more loudly. Crysta snorted, trying to stop the laughter. Her three friends looked at her in confusion at this sudden outburst. "What?"

Crysta grinned. "Stiff."

Jessie, Jonny, and Todd responded by quickly grabbing blank sheets of paper, crumpling them up, and launching them at Crysta. This one shrieked in laughter and cringed from the onslaught.

"Todd, can't you do something to get her mind out of the gutter?" Jonny laughed.

Todd wrapped his arms around Crysta, giving her a tight hug. "Not on your life, Quest Man. Dirty and horny, that's how I like her." and he kissed her neck.

Jessie had to laugh. "Just the kind of answer I'd expect to hear from the Dennis Rodman wannabe." 

Todd hadn't heard a word, busy nibbling at his girlfriend's neck. Jonny crumpled a sheet of paper into a ball and threw it at them. "Get a room!" he smirked at them.

Crysta grinned menacingly. "Fine. We'll take yours."

"No, that's off limits for that." he chuckled.

Jessie frowned a grin down at him. "Is it?"

He looked up at her with a gentle smile. "For them, yes. For us, never."

She chuckled. "Good, or else last night was illegal." and she gripped his shoulders gently, rhythmically squeezing and releasing his still sore muscles.

He grinned blissfully, feeling himself melt under her tender ministrations. "Last night _was_ illegal, Jess... in fourteen states."

"I take it you two made up then?" Crysta thought to ask with a Cheshire Cat smile.

The lovers merely grinned playfully. ""Make up, make out..."" They looked at each other suddenly before beginning to laugh.

"I thought that was supposed to be my line, Jess." he laughed.

"Patent it and it can be yours." Then she looked across the table to their friends. "We... came to an agreement, for the time being. We _are_ going to sit down and have a long talk about it all, but just not now. It's too soon and our timing is sort of off because of the exams."

"We're taking it one step at a time now." Jonny continued. "Almost as if we're starting over. There's a lot to think about, a lot to say and work out. And we will work it all out." He looked up at Jessie. "We will." She nodded in total agreement. He then looked at his two friends again with a menacing grin. "But if you two are still looking for a room here there _are_ ten other guest rooms here."

Crysta shook her head with a small grin. "No. Call me old fashion, but, preferably, I want to wait until after I'm married before that happens. Though I might change my mind someday. You never know. Depends how I feel some time from now."

"And you'll wait that long, Todd?" Jonny thought to ask.

"You bet. _Like minds..._ and all that. Um... indiscrete question?"

"Never stopped you before."

"Ha, ha, Quest. But seriously, in hindsight, um..." Todd began to hesitate. "Would you and Jess have waited... to... you know...?"

Jessie sighed a smirk at her lover. "When did this conversation turn so heavy?"

He chuckled. "At _stiff_." He turned back to his friends across the table from him. "In hindsight?" Jonny leaned back against Jessie, shaking his head in a negative. "I wouldn't have done anything different. In fact it might have all happened sooner than it did."

Jessie played with his hair gently. "Halloween?"

"You know of another night like that one?" he smirked.

Their two friends suddenly burst into laughter. The lovers looked to them in confusion. Crysta struggled for breath, trying to regain her composure. "Sorry... sorry..." she apologized between fits of laughter. "It's just... you two offered us a room, but we're wondering who _really_ needs the room right now."

"God!" Jonny groaned. "Hey, Todd, why don't we let the ladies _cool off_ for a while. I need help in the garage." and he stood. Jessie stayed seated on the armrest of his chair.

"For what?" Todd asked, also standing.

"I need Race's tool chest to continue the salvage job on Questworld, but it easily takes two to carry it. I need it in the Lighthouse."

Todd suddenly snapped his fingers, his face taking on an air of enlightenment. "I just had a wild idea, Quest Man. Crys and my folks know we're here and I'm sure they won't mind about this. How about we stay for the rest of the weekend? I mean, you already offered the room. And we can help with your salvage job all the while cramming for the exam on Monday." Crysta nodded in agreement.

Jonny and Jessie looked at each other at this. He shrugged. "Mrs. Evans won't mind. What do you think?"

"I think that orange dye added a few more brain cells in his head. I like that idea. Besides, it would give us someone else to talk to."

A slight confused frown creased his forehead. "What, you saying our conversations are dull?"

She smiled impishly, taking one of his hands to pull him closer to herself. "No, but you know what direction we eventually end up taking with those."

He chuckled, relaxing as she nuzzled her face against his chest, her arms snaking around his waist. "Ah yes. _That_." He sighed, carefully tangling his fingers through her hair. "So, are we pulling an all-nighter or are we cleaning up before bedtime?"

"Cleaning up before bedtime. Too much work in one day isn't healthy, especially before the exams. You guys go move Dad's tools while Crysta and I clean up here."

"That sounds like a plan, Ace." He gently tugged at her hair to get her to look up at him. When she did he placed a tender kiss on her smiling lips. "Keep the home fires burning." he told her.

"Bright and hot, just for you." was her soft reply.

Giving her a final smile he left with his friend Todd in tow. A blissful sigh escaped Jessie's lips as she stood and began helping Crysta gather together all the textbooks and notebooks scattered on the table. For each of their names they made neat piles in front of their places.

"So..." Crysta began carefully. "How did everything go I forgot to take them."

Crysta's jaw dropped slightly. "You what?"

"I forgot to take them."

"But... but you and Blondie were smart, right? You used... you know... right?"

She sighed heavily. "No, we didn't."

Crysta sat heavily in her chair, completely stunned. "Oh, Jessie... Is it possible you could be...?"

"I don't know. I am due within the next few days, we'll know then. Maybe I'm not. I mean, maybe it didn't take. Maybe..."

"That's a lot of _maybe_'s, Chica. How could _you_, of all people, forget?"

"Well, it's still kind of new to me. It hasn't become routine yet. It's not like I forgot on purpose. And we were caught up in the moment so it was kind of easy to forget about the protection."

"Things got out of hand?" she smirked.

Jessie grinned shyly. "You could say that. I know for a fact last night was my fault for not using protection." She blushed. "Jonny says I was pretty insistent."

"Ah, enthusiasm. Let it take control and anything can happen. Jonny doesn't know yet about you not having taken the pill for the past three days, does he?

"No, he doesn't. I'm not sure I want to tell him. If I'm not... you know... then I don't have to tell him."

"But what if you are?"

"Then I'll tell him and we'll work it out. That, and find a way to tell my Dad."

"He's not going to like this, your Dad that is. But, you want to know something, Chica? I could see you as a Mom."

Jessie's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Oh yeah! You have this natural Mother's Instinct when it comes to kids. When it happens you and Blondie will be incredible parents. You guys have such a capacity to love."

Jessie thought about it and a smile curled up the corners of her lips. When she had first realized how deeply in love she was with Jonny the thought of having a child, _his_ child, often popped up in her mind. The idea both intrigued and frightened her.

His child. Jonny's and her child.

__

Would it really be that bad...? 

* * *

"Okay, Todd, we can put it down right here." Jonny informed his friend.

After putting down the massive tool chest the orange haired basketball player looked around the Lighthouse's computer lab. Circuitry and circuit boards were everywhere, either cracked or carbon scored.

"Man, this place is a mess!"

Jonny looked around dispassionately. "Was worse earlier this morning."

"What happened?"

"You remember me telling you about Surd and his cronies?"

Todd frowned. "Didn't you say the wacko got his mind stuck in the system? Don't tell me he got out."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

"And he did this?"

"No, one of his cronies did. Planted a cyber-bomb that fried everything."

Todd went over to an open panel and peered in. "Lot of damage. Hope IRIS wasn't damaged along with this."

"IRIS is fine. It's all limited to the Questworld systems. We still have the portable systems, but the main one is shot."

"Good thing your Dad's loaded. I can just imagine the bill to fix this thing."

"Wait until my Dad sees it." He picked up the laptop Jessie had been working with and called up the inventory list. Then he handed it to Todd. "Most of this stuff is state of the art and some of it experimental." He picked up a circuit board absently and frowned. "All of it trashed." 

Putting all his strength behind it, Jonny threw the circuit board at a carbon scored panel, causing what circuitry was still active inside to spark. Todd waited a moment, letting his friend recollect himself after this display of frustration.

Then, bracing himself, "So, this is what started the fight between you and Jess?"

"No--" His head snapped up. "How did you know about that?"

"Crysta. She can never keep anything from me. What did start it?"

He sighed heavily. "Merrick. While Hadji was in Questworld, Merrick attacked him to free Surd's mind. He issued a challenge. You know me and challenges, can't resist. I didn't want Jessie to be there because I didn't want to risk her getting hurt. I was mad at Merrick, not Jess... I lashes out at the first person there. It could've been Hadji, he would've understood, but Jessie... I didn't want her hurt and I was the one who ended up hurting her. I can never forgive myself for that." he ended softly.

"One of the perils of living your lives, Quest Man."

"I'd gladly give all that up for a normal life."

"But think about it. If you did live a normal life like you call it, would you have met Race, or Hadji, or even Jessie?"

Jonny thought about it. "No, I guess not."

"Then where would you be?"

He shrugged at a loss. "You're right. But it doesn't make it hurt any less."

"Well, if it didn't hurt, we'd be doing it everyday without remorse. Don't worry, the girl's nuts about you. When she's ready, she'll forgive you."

"Patience. Something the world knows I'm not good at." He paused. "But, for Jessie, I'll wait. I want to. I have to."

* * *

Race looked up from his security report to the large pile of papers still sitting before him on the table. He sighed. He was used to this aspect of his job, assuring that every precaution had been met to insure the safety of his employer and friend, but he had never once believed anyone would have braved the cold and treacherous waters around Simoom Sound to reach this compound. And yet Lorenzo had. The pile before him was the result of Lorenzo's attack. Injury reports and death notifications. All of them he had to review and then sign, admitting his responsibility. This was the part of his job he hated. He could put up a front for everyone else, to be the rock in these situations, but each time someone under his command died a part of his soul went with them.

He looked across the table to where Benton and Marie were busy going over some medical notes. Their voices were hushed so as not to disturb anyone, but he could tell their conversation was heated in debate. Sometimes he wished he understood all the medical mumbo jumbo they used to be of some help, or at least know what they were talking about. Then he turned to Hadji, mainly to the bruises around his eyes. Ever since the young Indian Native had arrived from Maine he had deftly tiptoed around the subject of the injuries. Race put his report down and turned his complete attention to Hadji.

"So, you finally goin' to tell us how you got that shiner?" Race suddenly asked.

Hadji's head snapped up from his laptop, a look of surprise on his face. He hesitated momentarily, looking at Benton and Marie as if trying to come to a decision, then back at Race in resolve. "I do not... I... I am most hesitant to tell you about recent happenings back home." he stated rather timidly.

"It can't be that bad, Hadji." Doctor Quest urged with a small chuckle in hope.

Hadji shook his head, turning to his adoptive Father. "It is, Doctor Quest. It most certainly is." He indicted his own face, to the dark blue and black patches all over his face. "This is the proof. This is from Kyle Merrick in Questworld."

Race nearly leapt to his feet. "What!?"

"You heard correctly. Kyle Merrick. He and Francesca Hamilton have retrieved Surd's mind from where Jessie had locked it away in Questworld."

"Surd is free?" Benton asked incredulously.

"Now, yes."

"Great! That's just what the world needed!" Race exclaimed.

"There is more, I'm afraid."

"Figured as much."

"Please, continue, Hadji." Doctor Quest urged.

"I had gone into the Questworld programs as a result of a glitch in the system I found during a check. I know, it was foolish to log in alone, but the glitch had turned out to be a _hound_ program. I found Surd shortly before Merrick and Francesca arrived. He took me by surprise. Merrick issued a challenge through me to Jonny while he was there. Jonny responded by logging into Questworld to fight him, Jessie followed. Initially he hadn't told her he was going. He didn't want the risk of her being injured. He has become quite protective of her."

"Why's that?" Marie interjected suddenly.

Benton was the one to answer, sighing heavily at the memory. "Almost three years ago, while in Cairo, Jessie and Jonny were attacked. She was brutally beaten to the point of near death while Jonny received only a bump on the head. He took it hard, blamed himself for it all. To add to that, a year ago, Jessie was struck by a _hit and run_ driver in downtown Rockport. She was in a coma for seven months and two months in physiotherapy. This was shortly after they had started going together as a couple. Jonny never left her side for a moment, like in Cairo."

"Poor Jonny."

"I don't think he ever quite got over it all." Race spoke for the first time. "Lord knows I haven't, but I'm her Father. I'm supposed to be that way."

"But, from what you told me, Jonny loves her deeply." Marie countered. "He's going to continue to feel the guilt until he can be absolutely certain he can protect her from the world."

"_Any_ world." Hadji continued. "Something both he and I nearly failed to do yesterday. Surd's computer hacker expert on the other end sent a cyber-bomb which destroyed all of Questworld's system. I nearly did not get them out in time. But I did and this _bomb_ forced Jessie and Jonny to forfeit their battle..." 

He hesitated. Benton noticed. "What is it, Hadji?"

He frowned in consternation. "I am finding it most difficult to state this last part and I do not know why."

"Just take a deep, collect your thoughts, and just say it." Marie smiled gently.

Hadji did as suggested, taking a deep breath. "They forfeited their battle in Questworld... and that is when they had their fight." he ended in a hushed voice.

Race leaned back heavily in his chair, a disbelieving sigh escaping his lips. Benton just shook his head. Marie could hardly believe what she was hearing. The young boy who had saved her life so long ago, who had showed such compassion and caring, had yelled at his own girlfriend out of anger. 

__

Jonny? Yell at someone? No, that can't be right. He would never... 

"How bad?" the elder Quest asked carefully, breaking into Marie's thoughts.

"They came to the brink." Then, at the sudden flash of anger he saw in Race's eyes, "He yelled at her for only a second, then they avoided each other for the rest of the evening." This seemed to calm Race down marginally. "Crysta and I managed to get them talking to each other by the end of the day, but only slightly. They have agreed to wait until after their exams to really _work things out_. From what I have heard separately from each of them, they have a lot to discuss."

Benton leaned back with a small grunt. "I suspect they do, together, and with their Fathers."

* * *

Crysta yawned loudly as she walked, stretching her arms high above her head. She wore one of Jessie's extra nightshirts she had been lent to wear for the night while Jonny had lent an extra pyjama to Todd to wear. These normal clothes looked strange on the two eccentrics. They had met outside Jessie and Jonny's rooms after changing, being across the hall from each other, and now walked down the hall to the empty guestrooms. Before that they had spent some time in the Family Room downstairs just talking about anything and everything in general. When the old stand-up Grandfather Clock had struck two the small group decided it was late enough.

"Gab-fests are fun and all, but this pretty much guarantees that I sleep well until noon." the eccentric blond mumbled tiredly.

Jessie chuckled softly. "Go right ahead, Crys. I was planning on staying in bed late myself."

Crysta suddenly smirked. "In whose bed?"

"Mine, of course." she responded as if nothing was. 

Jonny looked at her, puzzled at her tone of voice. She merely winked a seductive grin at him. He immediately understood her intent and struggled hard to fight back the warm rush that swept over him. A look like that from her usually meant she had _special_ plans in mind.

"What about you, Blondie?" Crysta continued, not having noticed the silent exchange. "In whose bed?"

"Crysta..." came Todd's warning voice before Jonny could answer.

She feigned innocence. "What? Can you really blame me for asking?"

"No, but it's too late at night to start _that_ conversation up again. You can grill them in the morning for all the details." 

Todd then walked through the door Jonny indicated to him, crashed on the bed, and immediately fell asleep. The remaining trio stared, dumbfounded, for a moment as Todd snored loudly. 

"Thank God for soundproofing." Jonny voiced. He rubbed the back of his own neck in slightly stunned awe. "Wish I could fall asleep like that."

"Glad you don't." Jessie retorted with a knowing grin. She then indicated the room across the hall for Crysta. The blond bid her friends goodnight and disappeared into the room, closing the door behind her. Alone in the hallway, the lovers began to slowly walk back towards their rooms. 

Out of the corner of her eye Jessie watched Jonny in the dim night. She could see he, too, was watching her furtively. She smiled inwardly. Jessie knew why. Her so called nightshirt she was wearing was actually Jonny's pyjama top. He was going shirtless this night. Secretly she admired his physique. Jessie often wondered how she could have missed the changes. He wasn't overly built in musculature, but he was toned, well chiseled. He had grown taller than her by half a head. Physically, she had missed his change from boy to man. Emotionally, she was part responsible for the change.

Jonny slowed his gait to walk a little behind her and just stared at her as they went. He couldn't stop the lopsided grin that crossed his face. Earlier she had come into his room before he could completely change. She had playfully snatched away his pyjama top, winked, and then walked away. He didn't mind. She looked good in it. It came to just above mid-thigh on her, showing off a good deal of her shapely legs. Finally, reaching the door to her room, he couldn't contain himself anymore. He leaned his shoulder to the wall and sighed heavily, smiling lovingly and in slight awe at her. She turned to him at this.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"I'm just wondering what I ever did to deserve you."

Jessie smiled gently, touching his face. "I often wonder that about you." and she drew him into a tender embrace.

"Mmm... Had I a million lifetimes..." he said into the kiss, his voice sad.

"I know." She grinned an impish grin at him. "How about we make the best of this one."

He grinned back. "What do you have in mind?"

"A game. Something I picked up from _that_ store."

"Oo, do tell."

"Oh, I'll do more than tell. Samples are in order here." and she tugged him into her room where she urged him to sit on the bed. "Now, no peeking." she warned playfully as she moved off to her night table.

"But... if you're going to give samples..."

"Yes, but these are samples that are more felt than seen."

Jonny felt her crawl on the bed to right behind him and then something dark and velvet fell over his eyes. A blindfold. He grinned. He had a pretty good idea where this was going. Jessie's lips skimmed leisurely down the back of his neck as her hands ever so slowly slid over his shoulders and down his arms. He shivered pleasantly. He then felt her get up and take his hands to guide him to the head of the bed. From there he could guess what she wanted him to do. He settled himself comfortably in the center of her bed and she straddled his waist. Jonny had heard the slight rustling of fabric and somehow knew she had removed what little clothing she wore at the time. He tried to reach up and caress her, but she pinned his wrists down to the pillows.

"Not part of the game, Jonny." she teased against his lips.

He chuckled softly. "Then sign me up, Jess. I want to play."

He heard the almost silent clinking of metal against metal as he felt her enclose each wrist in a confining bracelet, raising his arms to the bed's headboard. Then her hand teasingly slid down the length of his bare arms to his chest where they began drawing strange patterns with feather light touches. He tried bringing his arms back down to her when she lightly kissed his lips, but found he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

Handcuffs!

She had gotten a pair of handcuffs and had secured him with them. He grinned again. This he liked somehow. Her fingers continued their intricate work of caressing every inch of his flesh. Soon her lips left his to travel down and join her hands at their work, nipping, licking and kissing his skin until it felt as if he could feel every molecule of air around him. Her gentle hands gripped the waist band of his pyjama pants and slowly tugged them down the length of his legs, her intention being to drive him completely wild. It worked to her advantage. He groaned and squirmed a little more urgently beneath her when he faintly heard the distinctive crinkle of a small foil packet.

"... Jess..." he breathed breathlessly.

"Shh, Lover. Tonight you're all mine."

"... Oh God...!" he choked desperately.

She gently, but firmly, raked her nails down the length of him and down his legs, making it a point to purposefully ignore that part of him that was most desperate for attention. Reaching his ankles he felt silk wrap around each, pinning his legs straight and slightly apart. Then her hands retraced their paths up his legs, showing particular attention to the inside of his thighs. By now he was writhing and squirming in desperation. 

"... Please...!" he cried out, out of breath.

Jessie chuckled softly. "What do you want, Jonny?" she asked in a teasing fashion.

"... You...!" he begged.

"Getting anxious, aren't you? Good." and she lightly kissed his lips. "I like it when you beg. When I'm done you won't be able to walk straight ever again. That is, if you'll be able to walk at all."

He whimpered in desperation. This was so unlike the Jessie he usually knew. She was dominating now, clearly enjoying herself from her small chuckles at his reactions. Then her hands disappeared for a moment, returning to apply something smooth and slick to the skin of his legs and chest. Oil? Scented oil. That heated up with friction. Her lips returned to his mouth and he could taste a sweet, slightly powdery substance on them. He filed a mental note somewhere in his rapidly overheating brain to ask her what other treasures she had acquired. The mental note vanished when her hands and mouth suddenly came in contact with his hard member, driving him ever closer to the edge. He tugged at the handcuffs hard, but couldn't break free.

"... Jessie... Please...!"

"What do you need, Jonny?" she teased with a low chuckle as she slowly slipped the condom on him.

"... You...!"

She positioned herself over his hips. "What do you want?"

"... Oh God... You...!"

She took him inside her with one swift downward thrust. He cried out, not in pain, but more in surprise. She was so violent, so feral tonight. This was so new, yet so strangely enjoyable at the same time. The more he fought with his restraints the more she seemed to become excited. Her hips pistoned against him in a rhythm older than time, painful and arousing at the same time. She made the most enjoyable of sounds as she moved faster. His whole body stiffened as he tried to reach her, unable because of his restraints. Jessie's fingers suddenly curled into his shoulders, silken muscles tightening around his shaft as she cried out in ecstasy. His release came almost instantly, harder than he had ever remembered. Then it was over, leaving them both to pant desperately for air. He suddenly began to laugh.

"Where did all that come from?"

She giggled. "Why? You liked?"

"Yeah!"

She laughed. "I got to talking to one of the sales clerks at _Victoria's Secret_ and she suggested we try and have some fun. Was this fun?"

Jonny laughed. "Oh yeah, very! Only, next time, you're wearing the handcuffs."

"Okay." and she chuckled low as she lay on his chest, brushing her lips to his.

"You know you can untie me now."

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" she teased.

"Because I want to hold you." he breathed seductively.

"Mmmm, good reason."

She sat up, reaching back and releasing his ankles from their silk bonds. Then she retrieved the key and unlocked his wrists from the handcuffs. His arms now free he wrapped them tightly around her naked form and crushed her to his chest. She carefully lifted the velvet blindfold enough to see his blue eyes twinkle lovingly at her in the darkness of the room. Jonny ran his hands down her sides to the round mounds of her buttocks, squeezing them to keep her hips tight to his own.

"I love you, Jessie." he breathed with all his heart.

"Love you, too, Jonny."

* * *

"Mmm, I missed you."

"Missed you too. You know Julia would probably have our heads if she ever found out we were here like this." Kyle Merrick voiced to the warm woman snuggled to his chest.

Francesca Hamilton grunted in dismissal, holding him closer, her cheek to his heart. "At this moment in time I don't care what she thinks. Just so long as you're holding me."

They were lying side-by-side on the small cot in Merrick's room, enjoying another moment of peace. He had returned only a few hours ago and, after assuring Julia and Surd that everything would go as he had planned, Merrick had retired to his room. Francesca had joined him there shortly after and they had cuddled tenderly.

"All this went kind of fast." he sighed.

"What did?"

"Us. We barely talked at all, just jumped right in... literally."

She turned her face upwards to look at him. "You want to talk?"

"I'd like to. I'd like to know more about the woman I so willingly gave myself to. I know so little except that you have a grudge against the Quests."

"Well, no, not the Quests. Just Bannon."

He smirked. "Which one?"

"Jessie." She spat the name like some disease.

He turned on his side to face her, a hand on her hip. "Tell me?"

"Now, remember, all of this was before I knew you existed." She paused, then sighed. "Started a few years back. My Dad and I were hired to _distract_ the Quests so we could _borrow_ some of their equipment. Specifically a QT designed carbon dater. My job was to find out where that equipment was by getting close to Jonny."

"Something rather easy for you." he grinned softly.

"Oh, it was. It was _so_ easy. What I hadn't counted on was him."

"What do you mean?"

"He was so sweet, so nice to me. He got to me, but the problem was Bannon. I think she suspected I was up to something. She kept digging and digging in the systems to find something about my Dad and I."

"And did she? Find anything that is."

"No. And I think that was our mistake. We had no records of us ever existing anywhere. I knew I had Jonny wrapped around my little finger, but as time went by he started to become distant. He wasn't as forthcoming as he used to. Instead he started commenting on how he and Bannon used to do certain things together that he and I weren't doing. My Father and I then decided it was time to hit the Quest Compound. We duped Jonny all night, then drove him back, staying inside the compound grounds. We raided the Lighthouse Lab. We had to find the equipment."

"Did you?"

"No. Jonny and Jessie stopped us before we could. She and I squared off, but I had to go. It was getting too dangerous for the cops to show up."

"So you did the cliché thing and vowed vengeance, right?"

"Right. Almost got her too. Several times. Paying off a cab driver to pass a little too close to her. A splash of water at the top of some marble stairs. A little shove against an unsteady balcony railing. A runaway bus. I managed to put her in the hospital in Cairo. Pay off the right people and they'll do anything you ask. I just had to get rid of her, then I could have him."

He held her a little closer. "Didn't work, did it?"

She shook her head slightly. "I didn't know how close they were to each other. He knew I was responsible for it all and came after my Father and I. He was so cold in his attack. He attacked, without remorse, without emotion. He thought Bannon had died. He wanted revenge. Oh, the hatred in his eyes was so beautiful! But all consuming. If it hadn't been for their Fathers he would've killed me. Bannon hadn't died. It was the only thing that stopped him. My Father was jailed and I was extradited back to the States where a went to juvi for a while. Then I was given a choice of where I wanted to live and study."

"You chose Rockport."

"I wanted to see if I still had a chance. Either to have Jonny or punish Bannon. I owe her for all she's done to me. I have _nothing_ because of her."

He quickly cupped her face to force her to look him straight in the eyes. "No, you do have something." he assured gently, but firmly. "You have you, your whole life ahead of you, and you have me."

"You mean that, about you and me?"

"Yes. I thought I wanted Jessie, but that was lust. What I have for you is so much more... and that's what scares me."

"So hard, so fast."

"Exactly. But I can promise you one thing."

"What's that?"

Merrick pulled her close against himself. "When all this is over, when Quest and Bannon are dead, we're going to Cairo."

She looked clearly confused. "For what?"

He grinned. "Well, if we're going to be on the lam together, might as well meet the family, right?"

Her face began to brighten. "You mean..."

"Bust him out."

She suppressed a squeal of delight, her hands to her mouth. "You, Kyle, are a god."

"I try." he quipped.

Francesca wrapped her arms tight around his neck, pulling him into a deep and passionate embrace as only she could deliver. At that moment, if she had asked, he would have done and gotten anything she might have asked for, no matter what the cost. Just as he felt the rest of his body beginning to respond to her touch she pulled back slightly, enough for their lips to still brush teasingly.

"I love you." he breathed.

She smiled. "Love you too."

* * *

Captain Terry Weaver of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stepped out of the dark blue Sedan, a dour look on his face as he looked at the near secluded research buildings at Simoom Sound. Security had been tripled in the last few days to ensure the safety of the researchers inside, and the visitors now arriving. The order for the increased security had come from Race Bannon, an American. Weaver didn't care much for Americans, with their _I know best_ and almost _holier than thou_ attitudes. True, not all of them were like that, but there weren't enough _normal_ Americans to make Weaver change his views. And it didn't matter that this Doctor Benton Quest was the best scientist in the world or that he was presently working on the cures for a biological and technological virus. He was an American. More than enough of a reason for Weaver to dislike him, no matter the work he was doing.

Now surrounded by more than two dozen security personnel and officers, two more figures stepped out of the same dark blue Sedan; Mister Clarke, the Minister of British Columbia, and the Right Honorable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada. Both had been _summoned_ to the research lab, at their leisure, for an update on the entire quest for a cure to both of British Columbia's problems. The summon hadn't sounded very optimistic. They were met by a young looking Lieutenant of the Canadian National Defense, Air Force division by his slate blue uniform. Weaver fought off a smirk as he remembered nick names used to describe the different divisions. 

__

Pigeons, he chuckled inwardly as he looked over the Lieutenant who saluted sharply, almost hopping to attention.

"Welcome to Simoom Sound, gentlemen. The research team is waiting for you in the main lab. If you would follow me, please..." and with a smart turn he led the way into the large, hanger-like building.

The corridors were stark and quiet as the small group progressed down them to the building's main lab. The only sounds perceivable were the clip of hard shoe soles on tiled floors and the gentle hiss of warmed air flowing through the ventilation shafts.

"Hard to believe this place was built in only a few days." Chrétien commented to Clarke as they walked.

The Lieutenant led those who followed to a heavy door set at the end of the corridor. He preceded them in, then stood next to the door in a guarding fashion. Gathered around a central table, completely ignoring desks lined with untouched chemicals, were the research team, Marie Métier, Nina LaChance, Doctor Quest, Race Bannon, and a young native of India all deeply engrossed in something running on a laptop computer. They all looked up at the sound of the door closing behind the new comers.

Doctor Quest straightened and shook each of their hands in greeting, not once smiling. _Bad sign_, thought Weaver.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming, though I wish it was for better news than we're about to give." Benton stated gravely.

"Please, Doctor Quest, any news is good news right now." Clarke admonished with more confidence than he felt. "Just tell me it's in the right direction."

Marie nodded. "It is, it's just this one solution is not very appealing."

"We are hesitant to implement it." Hadji added.

"Why is that?" asked a clearly confused Chrétien. If this was a cure, why were they so afraid?

"Because it poses as much a safety and security threat as everything going on now." Race answered flatly.

"How much of a threat?" Weaver asked with some trepidation.

Benton sighed heavily. "I guess the best way to explain this is to tell you what we're planning to do. Hadji?"

The young man at the laptop stood with a nod. "Yes, Father."

Race frowned slightly in surprise. "When did he start doing that?" he questioned Doctor Quest.

Benton chuckled. "Shortly after Jonny disappeared when you were in South America with Estella and Jessie."

"Oh."

During this Hadji had called up a few files on his laptop and had turned it around to show the two Canadian Ministers. "This is what has attacked all of British Columbia's networked computers, a virus containing every known and unknown virus now floating in the Net. It was concocted by several hackers working together. After much analyzing we have determined that not even the best antiviral programs running together could eradicate all the components."

"But you found a way around that?" Clarke asked hopefully.

Hadji hesitated. "Yes, but I'm afraid it is a solution you will not enjoy. For all of this there is really only one way to solve the problem."

"Which is?" Chrétien probed.

"Forcing the whole British Colombian computer network into a system crash and reboot."

"Say what?" Weaver demanded incredulously.

"We have to crash the network in British Columbia, cut off the power to the province, and then restart everything."

Chrétien sunk his face into his hands as Weaver began to pace in fear of the impending situation and Clarke's face drained of all color. "Oh mon Dieu..." was all the Canadian Prime Minister could mutter softly.

* * *

"Tag! You're it, Blondie!" Todd cried out as a snowball exploded at the back of Jonny's head.

Young Quest staggered in surprise. "Gah! Todd!?"

They had been standing out in front of Rockport High, waiting for their respective girlfriends to finish with their last exams for the midterm. It was Thursday and Todd and Crysta had spent the week at the Quest Compound either studying for their exams or helping both Jessie and Jonny repair the Questworld systems. Having finished with their exams the two young men had gone out into the school yard near the parking lot to wait for the ladies

"Arm up or get out of the snow bank! Oops! Forget it, the ladies are here."

From the school's main entrance came Jessie and Crysta, both looking slightly drained, but satisfied with the work they had done on their respective exams. Jessie smirked at Jonny who was still trying to get the snow out of the collar of his coat.

"Got you good, didn't he?" she quipped.

"Yeah, and he cooled off a few thought crimes while he was at it." he smirked in return.

She grinned slyly. "Did he now? Well, you'll have to tell me about those thought on the flight up."

His smile broadened. "Will do, Pretty Lady."

"You guys still set on flying out today?" Crysta asked.

Jonny nodded. "Yup. Bags are all packed and in the trunk of the Viper. We leave now and we'll reach BC just before nightfall. Can't wait to see Marie again."

"I can't wait to just meet this love interest of Dad's." Jessie added thoughtfully.

"Don't worry, Jess. I'm sure he behaved while he was up there." he grinned.

She smirked. "Unlike us."

"But we'll have to." he returned with an almost sad sigh.

"For a while. So, what are you two planning to do over the Christmas holidays?"

Crysta shrugged. "Mom finally finagled some free time for herself this year. We're doing a family get together, but she won't tell us what to expect."

"Oo, sounds very mysterious. What about you, Todd?"

"Road trip to North Carolina. Grandma invited the whole family to her place. Gab and food fest! Which reminds me, I still have loads of packing to do. Have fun in BC I hear the skiing is wicked up there." and he took off at a trot over the thick snow banks to the street.

"And I guess that's my cue to get home and clean things up a little before Mom get's home. See you guys in January." and she too left. 

Jessie and Jonny climbed into the sleek black Viper, Jessie behind the wheel, and drove off for the airport. Conversation was casual, questions about the exams of plans made by other friends for the holidays. Jonny couldn't help but start chuckling. She looked at him in confusion.

"What's that for?"

It took him a moment before sobering enough to talk. "It's just... all our friends are planning family outings or quiet time at home and what do we do? Go off and save the world. And no one ever hears about it."

She smirked. "Normal routine."

"Ever wonder what it'd be like if we weren't the people we are?"

Jessie frowned. "Come again?"

"You know. What if we didn't have the lives we have today."

"Then you and I would have never met."

He sighed. "It's hard to do, but that aside, how would we be like?"

She thought a moment in silence, then grinned. "I think you'd be bored out of your mind without the adventures. I can just imagine what a Holy Terror you would've been trying to find some form of excitement to occupy yourself. You love adventures. You almost live for them."

"I do live for them, and you too." he grinned lopsidedly.

She chuckled. "I knew you'd say that."

"So I'm that predictable to you now." he laughed. "And you? How would you be?" he continued.

"Like Mom. An archeologist somewhere deep in a jungle in South America, up to my elbows in mosquito bites and old Maya or Molche ruins. Something I find harder and harder to see with each passing day." she grinned with a sigh. "Why all these questions?"

"Just thoughts." he shrugged. "Trying to sort things out."

"What things?"

"Everything." and he drifted into silence, looking out the passenger side window. 

She respected this sudden silence all the way to the airport. They reached the airport within the hour, all in relative silence. This worried Jessie, slightly, knowing Jonny was thinking harder than usual. What was it that had him so pensive? The fight? The fact that they had to tell their Fathers' how far their relationship had progressed? Something else? Whatever it was he would tell her when he felt like it. After the fight they had in the Lighthouse Lab she wasn't prepared to push him for anything he wasn't yet ready to give.

Marcus met them at the hanger when she drove the Viper across the tarmac to him. "Mister Quest, Miss Bannon, hallo!" the plane mechanic greeted jovially.

"Yo, Marcus! How's everything?" Jonny spoke for the first time since leaving the school.

"Everything's on the up and up. Your plane's ready and fueled, all set to go."

"Good. Just the time to load up and we're gone."

"I'll go log your flight plan then, sir." and he turned to leave.

"Hey, Marcus. You're a man short." Jessie remarked as she looked towards the men fueling the plane.

"Hun? Oh! That. Yeah, Mike came down with something nasty sometime before Mister Hadji flew off and I managed to get a temp. This guy showed up out of nowhere and he did a great job on the first plane. Then, a few days ago, he just ups and vanishes. I checked out the last plane to make sure nothing was amiss from his sudden Houdini act. Everything showed up fine. No damage, no intentional screw ups in the machinery, nothing. But I had the rest of my team give the plane a once over just in case."

"They find anything?"

"Nope. The machinery's all fine. If you want we can do a more thorough check, but that'll mean you'll be a few days late going."

"No, that's okay, Marcus. We'll take our chances. We're kind of in a hurry." Jessie informed with a thin grin.

Marcus tipped his cap to her with an understanding grin. "Another _mission_, Miss Bannon?"

"You could say that." she replied cryptically as she walked over to the plane.

She slipped into the pilot's seat and checked over the systems in a pre-flight check. It was an unnecessary action, knowing full well that Marcus and his team kept the planes in tip top condition, but it was an action drilled into her from her Father. Besides, it was a great way to waste time until Jonny returned from logging their flight plan with the control tower.

__

Flaps?... Check.

Altimeter?... Check.

Speedometer?... Check.

Cabin pressuriser?... Check.

Landing gear?... Check.

Fuel?... Check.

Radio?... "This is Quest Cessna Tango Alpha Zulu two seven niner. Doing a radio check. Please confirm, over."

__

"Tango Alpha Zulu two seven niner, confirming radio signal on A band, channel six. Receiving you five by five."

"Thank you, Control." _Radio, check. Am I missing anything here?_ she questioned herself as she looked at the flight board. Jessie looked behind the seats to the supplies stacked there. _Emergency supplies and first aid kit... check and check._

"You drove to here and now you're going to fly to BC?" Jonny queried as he appeared in the pilot's side door.

Jessie grinned at him. "If I remember right the last time _you_ flew a plane we flipped over during landing."

He pouted. "Wasn't my fault. I was used to landing on tarmac, not a mesa plateau."

"Tarmac in a simulator."

"Details, details." he smirked, walking around the plane to the co-pilot's seat. "So, what heavy topic do we start with for the trip?" he asked as he strapped himself in.

"How about how we're going to tell out Dads about just how far we've gone?"

"Sounds good." he agreed.

With practiced moves Jessie switched on the small plane's engine, the twin propeller beginning to spin without protest. At a _thumb's up_ from Marcus and others from their ground crew she slowly taxied to the end of the runway.

"This is Tango Alpha Zulu two seven niner requesting authorization for take-off on runway alpha-alpha-four, West."

__

"Tango Alpha Zulu two seven niner, clear to take-off. Doppler is clear. Happy flying."

With that Jessie pushed the throttle to full and released the brakes. Slowly at first, the small plane headed down the runway, gradually picking up speed. She began to ease back on the stick and the plane easily lifted off the ground. A textbook perfect take-off. After a few short minutes of stabilizing flight time Jessie leaned back in her seat.

"So..." she sighed.

"So..." he returned.

"How _did_ your Dad find out about us?"

"Remember when he was looking for the suitcase?"

"Yeah."

"He tried to give me the _be careful of the bird and the bees_ talk. I wasn't comfortable lying to him about it while I was face-to-face with him so I told him that talk was too little too late."

"Did he pull a Casper?"

"A what?"

"A Casper. A Crysta saying for turning as white as a sheet."

"Oh."

"Did he?"

"Yeah. I think he still thinks of us as being six years old."

"Poor Doctor Quest."

"That's nothing. Wait until Race finds out."

"He's gonna go ballistic."

"Ballistic if we're lucky, Jess. Remember, you're his one and only _little Ponchita_."

She winced. "Geez, I'm nineteen. Doesn't he realize that?"

He smirked. "He realizes it. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Sort of like how you don't want to admit that I can take care of myself in sticky situations?" she poked verbally.

He frowned a smirk. "Nice seaway."

She shrugged a grin. "I try."

He chuckled softly with a slight shake of his head. "It's a guy thing to try to protect his girlfriend."

"Bad explanation. I know you better than that to know that's not your reason, Jonny Quest."

Jonny sighed. "It's not the easiest thing for me to admit." He sudden squared his shoulders. "After everything that's happened in the last few years I'm terrified to death that one day I'll wake up and you'll be gone."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No, not that kind of gone. Gone as in... well... dead."

She paused in shock. "Oh."

"That's why I take risks when you're around, Jess. It's not to impress you because I love you. It's to keep you alive because I love you."

"But what if doing a crazy stunt gets _you_ killed?"

He looked at his hands, then out the side window. "A risk I'm willing to take."

"But not one _I'm_ willing to let you take_._ I'm controlling of you, I realize that, but do you know why I do that?" He looked at her. "Just like you can't stand the thought of losing me I can't stand the thought of living another second without you." She touched her own stomach, her eyes lowering away from the plane's controls. "Especially now."

He looked at her, confused. "Why's that?"

Jessie paused. "Totally honest?"

"Yes."

"You remember me telling you I'm on birth control pills?"

"Yeah."

"For the last three days I... _forgot_ to take them... and I'm late."

Jonny paled. "You don't mean..."

"Might be. Not sure yet."

He suddenly began to laugh, a touch of hysteria in the sound. "Oh right, you tell me you could be pregnant when I can't risk holding you or we crash the plane."

She laughed. "Can't think of a better way to go."

He smiled at her for the longest moment. "If you are you know we're so dead."

"I know. Canon fodder comes to mind."

"You also know that I'll double my _white knight_ routine if you are pregnant."

"I'll allow that, considering what's at stake." she grinned.

He had another long pause where he just stared at her, smiling an almost goofy grin. The thought of her possibly carrying his child was just too wonderfully incredible. He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, letting them glide down the length of her neck. She sighed blissfully.

"I love you." Jonny breathed loud enough for her to hear.

She turned her head to him to give him a beautiful smile. "I love you, too."

* * *

Hadji looked at all the lights, screens and gauges around him. This was the last power station of the region left to be shut down. Everything, every system, was drawing power from these eight massive generators. And Hadji's hand was on the off switch. He really didn't like this forced situation.

It was drastic.

It was foolhardy.

It was... the last option left open.

He sighed heavily as his mind automatically switched to all the hospitals and emergency services they would finally be shutting down. He brought the cell phone to his ear.

"I am ready, Doctor Quest." he spoke with much heaviness.

__

"Everything is set here as well, Hadji. Do it."

"By the Grace of Allah..." he breathed and pulled down the off switch.

With a whine of protest the massive generators went silent. All the dials and power gauges dropped to zero. The province of British Columbia was now officially without any electrical power.

Hospitals.

Schools.

Fire Departments.

Police.

Prisons.

Airports…

Something clicked violently in Hadji's mind. With everything he had to do he had completely forgotten that Jessie and Jonny were flying up to join them this afternoon. They were probably in the air right now coming up on the badlands, the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Once they crossed those peaks in the next few minutes there wouldn't be any radio contact to help them navigate. They would be flying blind. Hadji quickly brought the phone to his ear.

"Doctor Quest! I just realized a major omission in this plan."

__

"What is it, Son?"

"Jessie and Jonny. They are in the air on their way here as we speak."

__

"Oh, no!"

* * *

Jessie Bannon smirked from the sight of Jonny's blue eyes watching her. She could see them glowing in the bright afternoon light, just out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't get too comfortable with the idea just yet." she warned sweetly. "We don't know if I am. Nor have we explained our relationship and the depth of it to our Fathers."

"I know, but I guess what I'm feeling is a guy thing."

She gave a derisive snort. "If I had a nickel for each time a guy said that I could buy QT away from your Dad."

"I think he left a third to you in his will anyway." he quipped. "But it's true, Jess. Any girl in your position would probably be worried about her health, new clothes, and trying to cope with the beach ball inflating in the front of her stomach."

"Well I am now that you mentioned it, thank you very much."

Jonny grinned. "And any guy in my position would be thinking about the baby's first steps, first smile, how he must be blessed that the girl he loves is having his baby, and how beautiful Mother and child will be."

She chuckled. "You guys act all macho, but as soon as you add a baby into the equation you turn into teddy bears."

"Can you blame us?"

"No, guess not. Mind you I know one guy who won't be so easily turned into a teddy bear. Enraged tiger is how I'd describe him."

"Race."

"Given time I'm sure he'll warm up to the idea of being a Granddaddy, but until then… well… you know of a bomb shelter you can hide out in until _Atomic Bomb Bannon_ cools down?" she quipped.

"Not funny, Jess. Really, how're we going to break the news to him without having him break our necks? Dad, there's no problem. Race, that's another story all together."

She sighed. "I plan on going in and winging it." she grinned.

"You're doing this on purpose to terrify me, right?" he griped.

"Oh, well, if you want to be serious about it… First off I'm not leaving you alone with Dad for a nano. He can kill you five times in that time. I guess… well… when we explain it all to our Dads we'll just have to say we got carried away a few times and that, well, accidents happen. It's the truth."

He mulled the explanation over in his mind. "Sounds about right. Might just be enough to convince Race not to kill me."

"He kills you and I charge him with double homicide for you and my suicide."

"Jess!"

"Hey, no way am I living out my life without my favorite bleach head."

"Not a good reason to--"

"Last resort. I don't plan on crossing that bridge unless something really happens."

He chuckled grimly. "You know, you're enough to give any guy a heart attack."

"I try." she grinned impishly. "So, you're really comfortable with the idea of maybe becoming a Daddy?"

"Yeah, I am. Always knew I wanted kids of my own someday." He suddenly laughed. "Just didn't think it would be so soon. What about you? You ready to be a Mommy?"

"It's actually a terrifying thought. A little life I brought into this world and so dependant on me. So small, so fragile. I don't know if I can do this."

"You wouldn't be doing it alone, but it…" and he let the rest of the suggestion hang unsaid.

"That's not an option, Jonny, and you know it." She sighed. "How can a topic that started out so happy end up so heavy?"

"One of life's mysteries." he grinned.

"Change topic before we end up in a blue funk?"

"Sure. What's our ETA?"

Jessie looked at the flight board. "About another two hours. We're just starting over the Rockies now."

"Wonder what progress Hadji's helped them make during the week."

"Probably has it all fixed and we don't really need to fly down."

"That's what I'm wondering. I mean, shouldn't we have gotten radio contact from them already?"

"True." She did a quick check of the plane's radio. "Nothing."

"What do you mean, _nothing_?"

"Exactly that. There's nothing coming out of BC on any of the radio frequencies. Not even static. It's like everything went dead."

Apprehension crossed Jonny's face. "Oh, don't use the D word." A sudden impulse forced him to look ahead. "Jess, look out!"

She looked up in time to see a low flying Jumbo 747 heading right for them. Since she had been flipping through radio channels she hadn't heard them call to them in warning. With lightning fast reflexes she banked hard to port, going into a dive to evade the huge jet liner. It barely missed the small Cessna, the force of the moving air around the massive liner forcing them into an even steeper dive. Jessie struggled to right the plane, but the controls suddenly seemed to lock in place. Jonny grabbed hold of the stick to try to help her, to no avail. The snow, pine and redwood covered mountain face continued to speed towards them.

* * *

First reports coming in, Doc." Race stated, listening to one of a series of short wave radios hooked up to a portable generator. "Northern BC and Northern Vancouver Island's systems are clean. The reboot worked with them."

"Don't restore power until the whole province reports in. We don't want anything to go wrong." He turned to Hadji working at another short wave radio. "Anything?"

"Nothing yet, Father. I am boosting the signal gain once again."

Doctor Quest frowned in growing worry. "We should have heard _something_ on one of the usual channels by now."

"We are fighting to send and receive a radio signal through high mountains, Father. We may not be crossing the threshold."

"I hope you're right, Hadji."

"That's it." Race announced. "All areas reported in. All systems purged of the _bug_."

"Give the signal."

Race flipped a switch, changing radio frequencies. "Home Base to Power Plugs, do you copy?"

__

"Power Plug one, copy."

"Power Plug two, copy."

"Power Plug three, five by five."

"Power Plug four, loud and clear."

"Home Base to Power Plugs, power up!"

There was a sound of static, then, _"Power Plug one, powered up."_

"Power Plug two, power on."

"Power Plug three, up and running."

"Power Plug four, systems are go."

"Contact the airport, Race. Ask them about the kids."

While Race did as told Doctor Quest began to pace the room anxiously. This silence from them was unnerving.

"Bad new, Doc." came the ex-Covert Operations Officer's heavy voice. "As soon as the power came back on they saw a 747 headin' staright for a QT registered Cessna. They didn't hit, but they lost the Cessna when it dropped below five hundred feet."

"They crashed?"

"Looks like it."

"We have to mount a search and rescue to find them."

"Can't spare the manpower right now, Doc. We have to find Surd. Won't take him long to figure out what we're doin' here so I'm sorry to say that's a little more urgent. If the computers cant find a cure for the _bug_ he set loose on these people then we need his files. You know that as well as I do."

Benton paused, biting the inside of his cheek. This was his Son out there, dead or dying. And Jessie… He closed his eyes tight, then steeled himself in resolve. The good of the many outweighed the good of the few. The kids were survivors, trained by the best for situations like this. Benton hated the thought, but Race was right. Jessie and Jonny would have to come second in this situation.

* * *

Doctor Marie Métier stared at the computer screen in slight disgust. She wasn't thrilled about computers. In fact, she hated them. Machines that mankind had become far too dependant on. There wasn't free thought anymore. The machine thought for them. She grimaced at the cold screen showing her an image of a biological virus's chemical make-up and a scrolling of quick images next to it. It was running through countless simulations in a fraction of a second, trying to find the right combination of chemicals to negate the virus. So far, in the two hours since power had been restored and the computers purged of their own virus, it had come up with nothing for her to use.

__

Machine inférnale, she cursed in French.

As if to prove her wrong the computer displayed a chemical representation of a substance with the words **MATCH FOUND** blinking in red below it.

Here it was.

The cure.

She printed the chemical formula and made a mad dash for the laboratory all the while yelling like a mad woman, "I have it! I have it!"

* * *

Jonny woke quickly to agonizing pain radiating through his every limb and all over his body. He struggled hard to swallow his own pained cries as he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back on a slab of ice covered rock, tree branches were broken far above him from the crash, the plane's wreckage lying off to his left. What helped him forget his pain and what began to worry him was the fact that he couldn't see Jessie anywhere in his field of view. He struggled to sit up, but was in too much pain to even do so.

"Jessie?" he called in a scratchy voice from breathing in smoke.

She appeared from around the edge of the plane. Cuts, bruises and soot mixed with blood covered her face and hands. Seeing him awake she carefully made her way over the rocks' slippery surfaces to his side. Tears were just beginning to brim in her eyes.

"I was starting to believe that you'd never wake up." she near sobbed.

Jonny managed to raise a heavy arm and gently touched her cheek to offer some comfort. "I'll be okay, Ace. I'm awake now, and feeling every limb, pained as them may be. All things considered, a good sign."

She forced a smile. "You're right."

"How're you doing?"

"Small cuts and lot of bruises only."

"See? You can't be part Hispanic. With your luck and red hair there has to be Irish blood in you." he quipped.

Jessie huffed a small burst of laughter. "Must be." she agreed, a slight twinge of sadness in her voice.

"Jess?" She met his clear blue eyes. "What's wrong?"

She paused. "I may not be _that_ lucky."

"What happened?"

She had another long, hesitant pause. "After the crash, when I woke up, the stick was pressed in hard on my stomach."

His eyes went wide. "The…?"

"I don't know." She swallowed hard and straightened. "But we can't think about that now."

Silently he marveled at her strength in this situation. "Right. Survival first. Radio?"

"Tried it. Got smashed pretty good in the crash."

"Then we have to _hoof it_."

"You can't walk." she protested.

"I'll crawl if I have to. Jess, we can't stay here. The plane has QT computers on board. It should have righted itself, even with the turbulence."

"Sabotage?"

"No doubt. Now that I think about it, K.C. Irrem was the new name on the roster. Saw it at the tower. Spell it backwards."

"What?"

"Merrick. It spells Merrick."

"Oh, my God!"

"Gotta put as much distance between us and the crash, even if our Dads are looking for us too."

"Let me get the supplies together then." and she made a quick dash for the plane.

He could hear her rummaging through wreckage and debris, gathering various items and supplies together. With a supreme effort, fighting every shred of pain pulsating in his back, limbs and ribs, he sat up to get a better look at his surroundings. The plane was a total loss, too damaged for salvage. They seemed to be in some sort of valley running East to West between two tall mountain peaks. From the looks of the long trail of damaged trees they had slid quite a distance down the side of the mountain. At the base of the valley ran a river heading West. He nodded to himself. He and Jessie would make their way down to that river and follow it to the coast. If their luck held they would find a settlement along the way. He then thought to look himself over to assess his injuries. Jonny's back hurt atrociously to the point where bright spots would play in front of his eyes. His arms and shoulders gave only slight pain, that was fine.

__

Head… dizzy. Ribs, He winced as his felt his sides. _…Broken. Legs… Damn, broken ankle. Let's see, I need a splint and a crutch._ Jonny looked up in time to see Jessie return with supplies, a long and thick stick, and pieces from the plane's wreckage. "What're those for?" he questioned about the latter.

"Splints. Where do you need them?"

"Left ankle only."

She nodded silently and proceeded to fashion one of the pieces into an L shape. Satisfied she carefully lifted her boyfriend's injury and fitted it into the right-angle ankle splint. He gritted his teeth against the pain of his fracture being set.

"Almost done." she soothed, hearing his groan intensify as she tied the splint.

Finally, "No, Jess, you're done!" he cried in agony.

Jessie immediately backed off. "Sorry."

Jonny breathed hard, staring at the sky as he waited for the pain to subside. During this she turned her attention to the stick and the remaining debris to fashion a crutch for him to use. As she finished she heard him suddenly begin to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking how my luck was still holding out, all things considered."

She gave him a puzzled look. "How so?"

"You didn't have any iodine."

A shocked moment passed before she suddenly broke out into laughter. He joined her, despite the pain in his ribs. Jessie touched his face tenderly, a bright and loving smile on her lips.

"Always know exactly what to say to make me laugh, no matter the situation."

"Have to make my angel smile somehow." he replied with his usual lopsided grin.

"Monster." she accused sweetly, lightly kissing his lips.

"You love me for it." he quipped.

"Despite it, you mean." she corrected with a smirk, helping him to stand.

He took one of the supply packs and slung it over his shoulder when he had steadied himself on one foot and a crutch. "For it, despite it…" he voiced.

"Make up, make out…" she quipped.

He chuckled. "All the same to me."

She giggled, draping his right arm over her shoulders to give him more support. "C'mon, _Romeo_. We better get moving."

* * *

"You know, Julia is gonna kill us for this when we get back." Francesca whispered, her breath crystallizing in the frigid mountain air.

"Who says we're going back after this?" Kyle replied as he scanned the surrounding forest with binoculars. "Following orders was never my thing."

"We're going AWOL?"

He smirked, lowering the binoculars to look at her. "We have to go to Cairo, remember?"

A moment of shock crossed her features. "I… I didn't think you actually meant what you'd said."

Kyle gripped her chin. "Hey, I _always_ mean _everything_ I say. Especially if it's to a lovely lady with violet eyes."

"Silver tongued serpent."

He smirked. "Flattery will get you everywhere, 'Cesca."

"I've already been everywhere." she quipped.

Kyle chuckled softly. "C'mon, their plane is over there."

Un-slinging their rifles from their shoulders and holding them at ready they dashed the remaining distance bwteen them and the plane's remains. With Francesca guarding his back Kyle did a quick sweep of the wreck, checking the remains of the cockpit and the baggage hold.

Nothing.

Not a trace of the occupants.

"Anything in there?" Francesca asked.

"Nothing. Check the snow."

"Here! The impression of a body and blood marks."

"Too big to be Bannon. Must be Quest. Footprints are heading to the bottom of the valley."

"Three feet and a hole. Quest must've broken a leg."

Kyle began to smile. "That means they have to move slow. Must not have too much of a lead. Safeties off, 'Cesca, my dear. The hunt is now on."

* * *

Gritting his teeth against the incredible growing pain from his ankle and ribs, Jonny paused in their trek. He leaned against a boulder to rest, gasping for breath over his pain. Jessie watched him, occasionally casting a glance to her surroundings. The shallow mountain river nearby masked any and all tiny sounds that could be crucial to them.

"Your _spider sense_ tingling, Ace?" Jonny half quipped between pants.

"Try more ringing like the bells of Notre Dame cathedral. This valley is a logistical nightmare."

He smirked grimly. "That's Race talking, but I agree. Masked sounds, blind corners, too many shadows to hide in. Don't suppose you had a dream to help us out with this one?"

"Trust me, if I had one I would've told you about it long before now. Ready to keep going?"

He nodded and, leaning on both his crutch and Jessie, he hobbled along the river back, heading West still.

* * *

Francesca lay flat against an outcropping boulder on a crest and carefully peered over the edge. Far below, making their way along the riverbank, were their targets: Quest and Bannon. She smiled.

"Kyle, come see this." she called behind her softly.

He appeared at her side. "Good guys are always _so_ predictable." he sneered and took careful aim.

* * *

Jonny suddenly stumbled and fell to the uneven gravel as a crash of thunder filled the valley. Stones exploded from an impact of something flying at a high velocity not far at his side. Instinct took over and he yanked Jessie towards himself behind a large rock.

"You were saying something about this place being a logistical nightmare?" he told her.

"Kyle?"

"Who else? Probably not alone either."

"What do you wanna bet it's Francesca?"

"Of course."

"Well, you wanted a rematch."

"In Questworld where the odds are even, not like this. I can barely walk, let alone fight, and you're weaponless. That kind of odds are those?"

"So let's turn them back in our favor."

"You have a plan." he grinned.

She smirked. "Don't I always? We have to split them up, draw 'em out in the open to see what we're really up against."

"You run and Merrick'll go after you, that's a given."

She frowned, determination setting into her features. "I'll handle him, pyro style." and she got up to a crouch to run.

Jonny grabbed her arm to restrain her a moment more. "Be careful, Ace."

His baby blue eyes spoke volumes to her in that short expanse of time. SO much so that she felt her heart contract sharply. He was terrified for her, just as she was for him. With fierce passion she kissed her lover deeply, one he willingly returned with equal ferocity. They remained forehead to forehead for a moment, their breaths mingling, not willing to part just yet.

"Be right back, Hot Shot." she breathed in reassurance, then took off at a run.

* * *

"That's Bannon. I'd recognize that red hair anywhere." Francesca growled.

"I'll go after her, you handle Quest."

"What!? Why?"

"You hate her too much and might make a mistake she can use. This is my favor and proof of feelings to you. Let me close this door, 'Cesca."

She paused, then began to grin. "Then I'll offer Quest's dead body to you as my gift."

Kyle chuckled. "We're a couple of hopeless romantics."

"Don't let anyone hear you say that." she laughed.

He chuckled again. "Extra gift: You can _play_ with your prey if you want."

"What do you mean by _play_?"

"Any meaning you want to give it. I'm flexible."

She smirked coyly. "So I've learned."

He laughed. "Have fun, 'Cesca." and he took off after Jessie.

* * *

Jessie Bannon's mind ran on automatic as she dashed between trees. From the heavy sounds some distance behind her she could tell Jonny had been right. Merrick was the one chasing her. She allowed herself a small grin.

__

Perfect!

She reached into her jacket and pulled out one of the emergency flares she had stuck there, lying the cylinder flat against the length of her forearm. From that position it would be easy for her to flip it and activate it in one move. Now all she had to do was wait for the right opportunity.

A gunshot rendered the air. "Next one's not gonna go wide, Red!" Kyle called to her.

Jessie stopped and smirked. _Opportunity!_

"Good girl, Red! Don't move!

She heard him walk towards her from behind.

"You know you haven't changed much from the last time I saw you. Still beautiful."

He came closer.

"Each time I was with Francesca I imagined it was you. Can't get you out of my head, Red."

__

C'mon! Closer, you bastard! she ground inwardly as he moved closer still.

His hand gripped her shoulder. "Let's catch up on old times, shall we?"

In a lightning fast move Jessie activated the flare and pushed the burning end into Kyle's face. He screamed in agony, taking a step back. She didn't let up there. Jessie let the flare drop to the snow and back fisted him hard across his jaw. He dropped his rifle in surprise. In one fluid movement she picked up the rifle and spun a full three hundred sixty degrees. The rifle butt connected hard with his head with a resounding thwack. Kyle reeled backwards, falling to the snow, unconscious. Jessie stood over him, a hard look on her face.

"Told you before, Merrick. Don't call me Red."

* * *

Francesca Hamilton carefully made her way down the crest to the rock behind which Jonny Quest still hid. Her rifle was at ready, prepared to shoot anything in her way. She jogged the final distance to the rock, then stopped and waited. She couldn't hear anything because of the river. She bolted around the rock to face her enemy, rifle at ready. There was Jonny, slumped over to his side, eyes closed. Francesca blinked.

"Dead or unconscious?" she wondered aloud.

The gentle rise and fall of his chest answered her question.

"Unconscious. Must've been in too much pain, Love." she grinned. "Awfully cute when you're out cold."

Silently she put her rifle aside and approached the unconscious teen. 

"Too bad you'll miss out of this fun." she cooed.

Before she even had a chance to react, Jonny suddenly came alive. In one move he snatched the knife from her belt and yanked her to the ground by her hair, the blade pressed to her throat.

"Are we having fun yet?" he ground.

Her initial surprise quickly changed to one of mocking anger. "You wouldn't dare kill me. It's not in you."

"Kill you, maybe not, but I don't have to kill you to hurt you."

Her eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't hit a lady, would you?" came her almost innocent question.

He paused, then released her hair. "No, I wouldn't," She sat up quickly, ready to attack, only to receive a fist hard across the jaw, knocking her out instantly. "… but you're no lady." he ended dispassionately.

Jonny sighed suddenly, fighting his pain again, and stuck the knife in the cuff of his boot before reaching over to take the rifle from where it rested. He managed to stand and, with the weapon slung on his shoulder with the supply pack, he limped away on his crutch in the general direction Jessie had run off in. Hopefully she had fared as well as he had.

* * *

The river ran more smoothly in the area where Jessie was. It barely made a sound which made it all the more easier for her to hear the crunching of ice and gravel under someone's foot from just around an immense boulder. She pressed her back to it, weapon ready, then swung out into the open, rifle pointed ahead of her…

… at Jonny.

Jessie blinked. "Jonny!" she exclaimed in surprise, lowering the gun barrel.

"Jess." he breathed in relief, his free arm extended out to her.

She more than willingly accepted the silent invitation, dropping the rifle and throwing herself against his chest. He winced a groan, but crushed her close despite the pain in his ribs. He buried his face in her hair, his lips pressed to the sensitive spot just behind her ear. She shivered pleasantly and nuzzled his neck gently.

"Francesca…?" she queried softly.

"Out cold. Merrick…?"

"Tied up to a tree somewhere out there."

He pulled back slightly. "Gives us time to put some distance between us and them."

She nodded in agreement and draped his right arm over her shoulders. They continued one their way, their pace slow down the gently sloping valley. Along the way another valley joined to the one they were in, a mighty glacier blocking their way. Only the river could pass, having long ago carved its path under the numerous tons of ice and packed snow. Jonny looked at the wall of ice and growled.

"You have got to be kidding!" he called to no one in particular.

"Can you climb it?" Jessie asked him.

"Don't have much of a choice. Believe it or not, _this_ is the easy route."

"C'mon. Even with a broken ankle it shouldn't be too hard to climb."

"How about a broken ankle and cracked ribs?"

She faced him sharply. "You never told me about the ribs!"

"Was afraid you'd put a splint on them too."

She frowned. "I still might."

"Later. Right now we have the giant ice cube to climb."

* * *

Kyle Merrick, in excruciating pain and enraged, struggled with the leather belt securely wrapped around his wrists, holding him to a tree. The magnesium from the flare that Jessie had pushed into his face still burned atrociously. For that reason alone he was planning painful tortures to put her though in repayment.

"Kyle." came a gentle voice just off to his right.

He knew who this was. "Untie me, 'Cesca."

He heard her gasp suddenly. "My God! What did she do to you?" and she released his wrists.

"The little bitch had a flare with her. I'm gonna pay her back for this though. She's gonna hurt a lot _more_ and a lot _longer_ than I am from this."

Francesca picked up a handful of clear snow and carefully applied it to his burns. He hissed through his teeth at the cold and pain, then looked at her. Kyle could see worry and pain directed at him swimming in those beautiful violet orbs. He had only see those looks in his Sister's eyes and that was only because Samantha was just that, his Sister. He had expected it. Yet here was Francesca displaying feelings he thought only his family would have for him. Kyle let her pull him against herself and rested comfortably in her arms while she tended to his burns.

"Let me take care of Bannon for you." she voiced softly. "I don't want to risk her hurting you even more than she has."

"I want her dead, 'Cesca. I want them _both_ dead."

"Excruciatingly slow." she assured.

"Yeah. Make 'em scream in agony before they die."

"I will, Lover. They'll be in so much pain they'll beg me to kill them to escape it all."

* * *

Fighting the pain numbing his senses, Jonny Quest dragged himself over the ice edge of the glacier, his ribs grinding painfully from the move. He rolled onto his back and panted desperately for air, bright spots playing in front of his eyes. He could hear the gritty sound of sand rushing by his ears, a sure sign he was on the verge of passing out.

"Take deep breaths, Jonny." Jessie's soothing voice broke through the haze. "We can rest here a bit."

"No. Merrick and Francesca are probably on the move again by now." He got up rather shakily. "Let's go."

"You need rest."

"Not while we're being chased by those lunatics, Jess."

She tucked herself close to his side to both support his weight and hold him close, being careful of his ribs. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be okay, Sweetheart. We just have to keep moving."

Being careful of their footing on this vast field of ancient ice and snow, the lone duo began their slow trek, once again heading West. The surface of the ice cracked and popped with each step they took. The sun's rays reflected a blinding white off the immaculate snow. They had to squint hard just to be able to see ahead of them, and even then that wasn't much help.

Jessie shielded her eyes in an attempt to see better. "With this much glare we could walk into a crevice and not notice it until we actually fell in."

"I really hate it when someone says something like that." he grumbled.

"Why?"

"Murphy's Law. It usually ends up happening."

"Pessimist." she accused sweetly.

"No, realist. C'mon, Jess, you know I'm right about this."

"How about this then. If it happens I'll give you the credit for being right and the theory is sound. If it doesn't we can chalk it up to a fluke. Deal?"

"Two side to everything with you." he smirked.

"That's because there _is_ two sides to everything."

"Alright then. The winner picks the prize… given the winner survives."

"Agreed." she grinned.

He chuckled grimly. "Now watch this, because we made such a fuss about it all it'll--"

Without any warning Jonny suddenly fell through the glacier's surface through a hold covered by a thin sheet of ice and snow. For her part Jessie barely had time to grab hold of the edge of the hole to keep herself from falling. Jonny wasn't so lucky. Jessie crawled back onto the glacier and peered desperately down the dark blue depths of the hole.

"Jonny!" she called.

Silence.

Fear crept up her throat. "Jonny! Can you hear me?" she called again.

Again, a thick silence.

Desperation welled up in her as tears began to fall in salty rivers down her cheeks.

"No… Jonny!" she shrieked down the hole.

Jessie scanned the glacier for anything or, by chance, anyone that could be of some help to her. There was nothing.

"No… Not like this… It can't just end like this… Jonny!"

Only silence greeted her.

"Nooooo!" she shrieked, her heart shattering.

"Could it be _Lizard Boy_ is actually, finally dead?" came a mocking voice not far away.

Jessie looked up and immediately brought the commandeered rifle to train on the newcomers: a very burned Kyle Merrick and an anger-filled Francesca Hamilton. Jessie weapon waived back and forth between the two, keeping them at a distance.

"This is all your fault." she growled.

Kyle smiled. "I know. Isn't it wonderful knowing you accomplished one of your greatest wishes?"

Francesca laughed. "One more loose end to take care of and our lives will be perfect, Kyle. Too bad we won't be able to here Quest's cries of pain."

Bannon's frown deepened. "I won't let you enjoy this."

"And how will you do that, Red?" he mocked. "By shooting one of us?"

"As a matter of fact,"

**__**

BANG!

"… yes."

The end of the rifle barrel smoked from having just been fired in the cold mountain air. Merrick clutched at his stomach, a stunned look on his face. Horror covered Francesca's features as she watched him fall to his knees, blood flowing from between his fingers. She caught him in her arms, still in shock that Jessie had been hardened enough to do this. It was exactly what had happened to Jonny when he had believed Jessie to be dead back in Cairo. She looked at her only to find her still pointing the rifle at them. Jessie's expression was cold, yet blank.

"Now you know how I feel." she ground at her raven-haired nemesis.

Francesca could only cry.

* * *

"… pull him up gently…"

… …

"… BP sixty over forty… … reflex response in lower extremities…"

… …

"… it's a miracle he's alive…"

… …

__

Blurry vision.

Blink.

Blink.

__

Where's that really annoying beeping coming from?

Weak eyes scanned the room.

__

Hadji?

Race?

Dad?

A flash of shapeless red caught his roaming eyes. He stared and it began to take on a form. 

A head. 

Bowed slightly. 

No, resting on something.

His hand.

The head raised up and a pair of emerald green eyes stared back at him.

__

Jessie.

She blinked an overjoyed smile. "You're awake." She turned to the others in the room. "He's awake!" 

As his family members joyfully crowded around him Jessie carefully lifted the oxygen mask away from his face.

"How're you feeling, Hot Shot?" she questioned gently.

He frowned a tired groan of what best sounded like dismay.

"What is it, kid?" Race asked in concern.

"Hospital." he rasped in clear distaste.

They chuckled at him. "I believe that to mean he will be just fine." Hadji voiced with a smile.

"What happened?" young Quest queried of those around him, his voice a weak rasp.

"While you were on your last leg to Simoom Sound we forced the province 's computers into a crash." Benton Quest explained. "We then shut down all the power to force a reboot."

"And the biological virus?"

"Gone. Marie found the cure and is heading the inoculation as we speak."

"Then… it's over?"

"It is, my Brother. Surd and his group put up very little resistance to our following raid. The weapons they stole were sold in part to fund their work. Those they freed easily surrendered in exchange for a lenient sentence if they co-operated fully."

Jonny turned his attention to Jessie at this point. Happy tears brimmed her eyes as she smiled at him. "Jess, I remember falling. Then what happened?"

"You were unconscious. Have been for the last week now." she told him.

"Figures. Merrick…? Francesca…?"

"Merrick was shot." Race answered.

"Shot?"

"I thought you were dead." Jessie continued. "I didn't want them taking any pleasure in your death. He's not dead. That would've been too good for him."

"Jess…" From the corner of his eye Jonny could barely see Race ushering the others away. _Good ol' Race._

Jessie cried as she caressed his face. "I was so afraid I'd lost you. Didn't think you'd wake up this time." she sobbed softly.

"Shh, don't cry." he soothed. "Of course I had to wake up. How could I possibly bring myself to leave my angel?" She had to laugh, despite her tears. "Tell me everything that happened."

She paused, carefully enfolding his hand in hers. "After you fell through the ice, Merrick and Francesca appeared from out of nowhere. They were making fun of the whole thing. In the state I was in I snapped and shot him. In my mind the logical thing to do was to hurt them in payback for everything that had happed that far. They're actually in love."

"Hard to believe." he sighed.

She nodded slowly in agreement. "I ended up going with a cliché. He asked for it. His words exactly, _And how will you do that?_ Meaning stopping them. _By shooting one of us?_"

"So you did. It's Cairo all over again, only with our roles reversed."

"That's what happened?"

"Yeah, only you took it a step farther than I did."

She sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand in her lap. "Only because we're more involved now than we were back then."

He allowed himself a weak grin, staring at her hands holding his hand. "Too true." Jonny brushed his fingers against her stomach. "About that, did you ask the doctors here about…?"

"Yes."

"And…?"

"I wasn't."

"Oh."

"I was off my cycle by a bit, that's all."

"Talk about a scare though."

"Disappointed?"

"Well… yes and no. No, because we're still too young for that kind of responsibility and because Race would've killed us. Yes, because I was kind of looking forward to being a Daddy."

A soft, gentle smile touched Jessie's lips. "You'll get the opportunity again someday."

"Far in the future, when we _both_ feel ready." He smiled. "Until then we'll just have to be careful."

"And you wondered how I could ever want you as a boyfriend." she smiled sweetly.

His smile broadened slightly, then he sighed. "Which brings us to our next topic to tackle. Telling our Dads about us."

She groaned. "Into the mouth of Hell."

"Gotta be done."

"I know. Can't this wait until you're better thought?"

"The sooner we get this done the better it'll be."

Jessie sighed as she went to the door. "You're lucky you're in the hospital, Jonny. Dad does anything to you and you can get immediate treatment."

He blanched slightly. "Don't remind me."

She smiled at him in reassurance and opened the door to beckon the others back in. She then helped Jonny sit up before sitting close at his side, his hand once again gripped tightly in her own. Jonny took a few deep breaths from his oxygen mask to help calm the pain before looking at his Father in all seriousness.

"Um… Dad, remember that talk you said we needed to have?" he began slowly.

* * *

"… and I want their blood counts done every four hours to be on the safe side." Marie Métier told the crew of doctors with her. "Don't want anyone to have a flare up when we can stop it."

"_YOU WHAT!?_" a man's voice reverberated through the hospital halls.

"What was that?" a young nurse asked.

Marie just smiled. "That, I believe, was Race Bannon finding out that his baby girl isn't a baby anymore."

"How do you know?"

"Call it a hunch."

****

EPILOG:

Doctor Benton Quest lounged back in a wicker chair, a cool glass of iced tea in one hand, a small fan in the other to fan after to mid day heat. Bandit lay at his feet, head propped up comfortably on one of Benton's feet, sound asleep. Race Bannon sat across the way, nose absently pressed in a racing magazine.

"Coming to the Florida Compound was a wonderful suggestion, Race." the elder Quest sighed. "After all that cold up North a little sunshine is just what we needed."

"Too bad Hadji's missin' out on it."

"His Mother was pretty insistent about having his home in Bangalore, though I think that was more Kefira's doing than Neela's."

"Get the feelin' Cupid's workin' overtime on the kids?"

Benton chuckled. "Trying to figure out hope to handle kids with such an adult level of maturity? I would say Cupid is doing an excellent job, all things considered."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Not quite resigned to this, are you?"

"No. You?"

"The same, but there isn't much either of us can do about it."

"I just wish they'd told us sooner."

Benton smirked. "They know your reputation, old friend. They wanted to keep breathing. And would it have really changed anything?"

"No." he replied grudgingly, then sighed. "They grow up so fast." He suddenly broke into an impish grin. "Speak of the devil."

Both Jessie and Jonny froze in the terrace doorway at Race's statement, a look of slight dread on their faces.

"Why is it I never like it when either one of them says something like that?" the blond asked his girlfriend, his blue eyes twinkling at the sight of her bikini and diaphanous wrap around her hips.

"Because it usually means they've been talking about us and we'll never get to hear what it was about."

She helped him to one of the wicker lounging chairs and propped his plaster-encased ankle on a pillow, then sat next to him. Bandit trotted up from where he lay and settled himself comfortably in Jonny's lap.

Race raised a skeptic eyebrow at them. "You two been behavin'?"

Jessie chuckled. "Please, he's hurt enough as it is. I don't want to risk making it worse."

Jonny touched his taped ribs. "What worse is the fact I can't do anything."

He looked up to see both Race and his Father staring at him in shock.

"Wha-- On, no, nothing like that! I mean swimming, paragliding… that sort of stuff. It's boring," he turned to smile at Jessie. "… but I like the attention."

She giggled. "You just like the sponge baths." she quipped.

Race bolted. "You're not--"

""Psych!"" the laughed.

He dropped back into his seat with a dismayed groan. "I'm getting' too old for this."

"So, how long are our _friends_ going to be locked away for this time?" Jonny suddenly thought to ask.

His Father was the one to answer. "Surd is being sent to Belleview for a life sentence. Julia, Lorenzo, Merrick and Francesca each were sentenced to life imprisonment as well and were sent to four different super maximum prisons for the duration of their sentences. None of them are to be given a chance for parole."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch."

"The others are to serve various jail times here and there." Race continued. "Only one person got away from us and the cops." He rubbed his jaw at a painful memory. "Good fighter. She'll be hard to catch."

"Think we might run into her again someday?" Benton queried.

"With our track record, that's a definite. Who knows, maybe next time she'll be on our side."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Geez, Dad, _another_ interest?"

"Um… well… I--"

She huffed and grinned at Jonny. "And he says _we_ need a leash."

Young Quest took on a playfully pensive look, giving her a lopsided grin. "Leash, hm?"

She smiled a mock warning stare. "Hush, Quest. We don't want to worry them."

He haunched his shoulders with a shy smirk. "Yes, dear."

"Speaking of getting us worried…" began Doctor Quest. "You two have been awfully conspiratory since your release from the hospital."

"Um… we had a lot to talk about, Doctor Quest."

"About what?"

Jonny stared at his hands for a second. "About the fight, about us and which direction we're heading in. A lot of _what if_s."

"_What if_s?"

"What if she and I broke up, what if one of us died, what if she… got pregnant…"

"Heavy questions." Race mumbled.

"We had to ask them to get answers, Dad." Jessie continued. "There were important decisions to make… and we made them."

"What kind of decisions?"

The two teens smiled, first to each other, then to their Fathers. "For one, when Jess and I finish College, we'll make it official."

The adults frowned in confusion. Official? What had they meant by official? Slowly, theatrically, Jessie raised her left hand to show off a sparkling diamond ring on her finger. Benton immediately recognized this ring. It had once belonged to Rachel, his dear departed wife. He remembered having given the ring to Jonny so as to help him remember his Mother. And Rachel had meant it for him to use when the day came that he found just the right girl. Immediately at that illumination struck him, then Race moments later.

Race began to stand slowly. "Oh, no, you didn't."

The teens merely smiled in confirmation.

Benton laughed outright. "They did!" He stood and clapped the ex-Covert Operations Officer on the shoulder. "Looks like we'll become in-laws within the next five years, old friend."

"I'm getting _much_ too old for this, really, I am." but he couldn't help the happy grin that spread across his face. He couldn't imagine anyone better for his little Ponchita. "Oh God!" he suddenly exclaimed in what sounded like shock.

""What?"" the three queried in worry.

"How am I goin' to break this news to Estella?"

They were silent for a heartbeat, then broke into the throes of laughter.

****

THE END

7 February, 2000


End file.
